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Marlin opened his eyes and squinted at the countryside around him. Everything was a blur. He reached up and adjusted his glasses. He took them off to clean them. Suddenly his vision was clear. “Why do I have these if I don’t need them?”
He attempted to stick the glasses in his shirt pocket. Something blocked them. “A pocket protector?! What the...What kind of case was I working on?”
Unbuttoning the top two on his shirt, he tried to think of the events which had led him to this place. Images of gunfire and explosions came to him along with images of numbers and a woman who would not keep her mouth shut.
“First things first,” he said aloud to himself. “Let’s see what I’ve got.” He took a moment to check himself up and down.
Then he dipped into the pockets of his suit jacket.
He extracted a silver mini-Frisbee. He wondered what it was as he turned it over in his hand. He returned it to the pocket.
He produced a tube from another pocket. Opening the tube he found several file folders. Each file folder had the name ‘VibraTech’ emblazoned upon it.
Marlin took a quick scan of the files. The one marked ‘Universal Key’ caught his eye. He opened it first.
Inside he found a diagram which resembled the silver mini-Frisbee. Marlin read aloud from the file. “‘A compact device that can perform the function of any key on any lock.’ Any lock? If it works this might come in very handy. Is that what I was after? For what purpose?”
He stood there a moment pondering.
The rest of the files looked intriguing enough , but they could wait. There were other pockets to explore.
Marlin pulled out a beaten brown wallet. He pulled it out a bit too fast and discovered, much to his chagrin, that it was fastened to his underwear by a thin string. The auto-wedgy made him jump. “Boy, when I throw myself into a role I sure go whole hog.”
He adjusted his pants.
He removed the string from the wallet and opened it. It wasn’t easy to open the string , but he had faced tougher challenges. “You never know where a clue might be hidden.”
Marlin examined the contents of the wallet. A VibraTech photo i.d. card. “I’m a Poindexter,” he observed. A VibraTech electronic entry card marked ‘Accounting Department’. “Yep. Just call me Melvin Poindexter and point me toward the internet. Yikes.” A transportation pass. Emergency phone numbers. About fifty dollars in cash. A single penny was pressed into the bottom of one of the small pockets. “So, I’m Marlin Clamor and I work in the accounting department at VibraTech. Why? What was I after? Did I achieve my goal? What now? And even more importantly, where am I?”
“Where am I?” he cried out to the valley.
“Let me see if I can answer that,” came a voice from the leaves.
Leaping to his feet Marlin queried, “Hello? You up in the tree?”
“I am not in the tree,” came the reply. “I am the tree.”
“I’m dreaming,” stated Marlin. “What do I have to do to wake up and return to reality?”
“That depends upon what you consider reality to be,” came the voice again. “To which reality do you belong?”
“Which reality?” Marlin began with a start.
“My apologies,” said the voice. “Let me assure you that you are fully conscious. Nothing around you is a figment of your imagination. But then, you could just be a figment of my imagination. The water here isn’t as pure as it used to be.”
Marlin asked, “Where am I then?”
“In relation to what?” the voice inquired. “Which country? Which road? Which county? Which ‘where’ would you like to know?”
“Look,” Marlin said a little testily, “this not being able to look you in the face is really starting to bother me. Would you please come down from the tree?”
“I told you before,” replied the voice, “I am the tree.”
“Trees do not talk,” Marlin stated flatly.
“Maybe you’ve just never listened,” supposed the voice.
“If I could get up there I could find you!” Marlin shouted up into the leaves.
“You want to get into the branches?” asked the voice. “Let me help you.” Two slim branches around five inches in diameter came slowly snaking their way through the foliage.
They cradled Marlin and began to lift him higher and higher through the branches.
“How are you doing this?” came Marlin’s stunned question.
“The same way you move your appendages,” was the tree’s reply.
“Then...,” Marlin grappled with his thoughts, “You really are the tree.”
“Yes, just as I have been telling you. I am the Tree of Pondish. I may speak in riddles every now and again just for fun , but I have never had any reason to lie to anyone.”
Marlin hesitated. “I’m Marlin Clamor. Nice to meet you.” He extended a hand into the air as if to invite a handshake. “Now, please put me back on the ground,” Marlin asked politely.
“Werner Klemperer?”
“Clamor. Marlin Clamor. Like a loud fish. Now set me down.”
“As you wish,” said the tree. The branches slowly lowered Marlin back to the ground.
“How is it that you can talk? I don’t see a mouth anywhere.” Marlin asked.
“What is a voice but wind rustling through fleshy folds? I do not need a mouth to speak. I merely vibrate my bark and leaves at a level you can perceive. This is what you call ‘speech’.” Came the tree’s response. “My method allows me to communicate with all the living things on Antasta.”
“Antasta? Where on Earth is Antasta?” Marlin wanted to know.
“Earth? Where on Antasta is Earth,” queried the tree. “This is the world known as Antasta by its natives. I have seen great empires rise and fall. I have experienced wondrous technologies and miraculous magic which have long since vanished. Now is a time of agricultural endeavour. Small kingdoms are scattered throughout the land. Many of the inhabitants have never ventured beyond their own islands.”
“World?!” Marlin was incredulous. “Then this isn’t Earth? Holy cow. Uh, what about technology?”
“That depends how you define technology. Most of this world's advances have been long forgotten.”
“Great,” Marlin said sarcastically. “How am I supposed to get home without advanced technology? And how did I get here in the first place?”
“Help others and they will help you. Generally speaking,” commented the tree.
“Where can I find the help I need?”
“There is a very good tailor in Niraba. It’s a village just east of here.”
“No, I need help to...what do you mean tailor?”
“You’re going to attract a lot of attention if you start wandering about the countryside dressed as you are. Here,” said the tree,” take this hooded black robe.” A branch from the tree tilted heavenward and issued forth a black robe.
Marlin held the robe up to have a look at it. Then he stuck his hands into its deep pockets. He pulled out a purple amulet and held it up.
“Native jewellery,” informed the tree. “Put that on over the robe and you’re sure to blend in.”
Marlin took the contents of his pockets and deposited them in the robe. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome. If you seek technology or the remnants of technology then you should travel east to the town of Niraba. There isn’t any there , but it’s a good place to start.”
“And east would be...?”
All of the trees branches pointed the way.
“Thanks again for everything. Perhaps someday I can return the favour.”
“You already have and will again,” replied the tree cryptically.
Marlin waved to the tree as he turned and headed down the dusty road.