Worlds Within

CHAPTER 3 - BOOK POSSESSION

  The week crawled by, but Friday finally arrived. Janie had asked him to stop by Alice's Food Emporium after school and pick up her order. Fresh mysteries for tonight's salad, he thought.

  The day started the same as every other day at school - with science class. In Toby's mind it was the best part of the day. Settling back in his seat, he forgot all about the book and the other world. BAM was only a dim memory. All his thoughts were concentrated on the wonders of the natural world.

  Mr. Hernandez droned on about the mystery of St. Elmo's fire, an eerie weather related phenomenon. He told about ancient sailors and their superstitions about fireballs and strange lights that looked like flames traveling up the masts of their ships. Some of the other students were bored, but Toby was fascinated. He imagined the ship rocking beneath his feet. The wind blew harder making bigger and bigger waves on the sea. Lightening flashed, and the sky darkened. He felt the fear of the sailors as they cringed in terror of a natural spectacle they didn't understand. The hour passed all too quickly.

  The only bad thing about Fridays was that after science class he had to go to gym. He hid the book in his locker before going to the dreaded class. Basketball today. Great. Wasn't it obvious he was short? Did he have to face the further humiliation?

  Jason met him on the gym floor. It was good to have a friendly face in the confusion, but it was still hopeless. He could never remember the rules to these stupid games. Three steps, four steps, dribble the ball, and pivot on one foot. It was worse than learning to dance. He felt as short as a two dimensional Flatlander. He could never tell when the three dimensional monsters were going to suddenly appear in front of him and stomp on him. The game was just dumb.

  He suffered through the ordeal, managing to avoid the ball most of the time. Finally it was over. As they left the class Jason said, "Why don't we get together Sunday afternoon, and I'll help you get the hang of this."

  "I was that bad?"

  "You were pretty bad. But nothing we can't fix."

  He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the class feeling relief. Weaving his way through the other kids as he headed to his locker, he thought about the weekend ahead. His spirits began to rise, but as he rounded the corner he was confronted by Buz.

  "What's your hurry, Toe-bias?" Buz drawled. Toby's shoulders slumped. First basketball, then this. He took a step back and bumped into Magnus.

  "Watch where you're going squirt," Magnus said as he pushed him back toward Buz.

  Toby looked around for a way of escape. Dismayed he saw a shadow move away from a dark corner. It was Arnie, of course. Trouble comes in threes.

  Buz looked over Toby's head and said to Magnus, "What do you think of someone who tries to get his friends in trouble? We wanted to have lunch with him, and he made a mess of the place."

  Magnus shrugged. "Not very sociable."

  Arnie slipped up silently behind Buz and said, "Probably just needs a little instruction on his manners."

  Seems like everyone wants to teach me something today, Toby thought.

  A boy passing by them bumped into Arnie. He snarled and the boy stepped back quickly. Seeing the opening, Toby ducked between them and squeezed his way into the crowd. Being small was now his advantage. He squirmed and wriggled his way through the mass of bodies. Suddenly there was an opening before him and a clear path. He ran for it.

  Maybe he could escape into the book. If only it would work again. He slid to a stop at his locker. With fumbling fingers, he turned the dial on the lock. His mind froze. What was the combination? All he could think about was Magnus reaching out to grab him. He heard his name being shouted. Think. Think. He forced himself to relax. The numbers came back to him, and he spun the lock. It opened, and he grabbed the book. As he fumbled through the pages, he could hear running footsteps. He focused the magnifying glass. Please work. Please work. The title on the book came into focus?

  Buz and Arnie ran up to the locker. Arnie jerked back the door expecting to see Toby cowering inside. It was empty. Buz slammed the locker and kicked it leaving a large dent. "Where did the little runt go!"

  Toby looked up and saw the hut. He collapsed on the path breathing heavily. After a minute he caught his breath, and his muscles relaxed as he realized he had once again escaped BAM. Looking around he saw the door to the hut was open. The hermit was nowhere to be seen.

  He started to get up, but suddenly froze. Golden eyes were looking at him. They appeared to be part of the wall next to the door. The eyes blinked, and part of the wall moved. Then Toby realized it was an animal lying on the rock bench. Its fur was the same mottled beige color as the wall. It blended so perfectly that it was invisible until it moved. Why, it's only a cat, Toby thought. He walked over to the ledge and sat down. The cat sat up watching him.

  "Hello kitty," Toby said. He cautiously extended a hand. The cat sniffed his fingers. Then slowly it reached out its paw and laid it on Toby's palm. His fingers tingled, and he felt a little dizzy. In his mind he saw a picture of Caedman walking through a maze of giant boulders. He pulled his hand back. The cat shook itself and began washing its face.

  "Toby!" Marnie said as she stepped out of the hut.

  He jumped at the sound of her voice. Her face looked worried and tired. There were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't been getting enough sleep. "What's wrong?" he asked.

  She flopped down on the bench with the cat between them. "Berren has been arrested."

  "Arrested?" Toby said, thinking he must have heard her wrong. "What for?"

  "Book possession," she said glumly.

  "What do you mean book possession? He stole a book?"

  "Don't kid around, Toby. This is serious."

  "I don't understand. Why would he be arrested for having a book?"

  She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

  Toby said, "Where I come from they bribe kids to read books. What's the deal?"

  "Well, I guess you wouldn't know," she said.

  "So why don't you tell me? What's going on?"

  Marnie paused and then began her story. It started when the old governor of the village retired. The King sent word that a new governor would be appointed. Everyone waited wondering what he would be like. Several months passed. When the replacement arrived, he was not at all what they expected. His hair was streaked with gray hinting of age, but his strong and muscular body suggested youth. The journey from the King's City in the south had been a long one. His clothes were strange. He spoke with an odd accent as he told the story of how road bandits attacked them. Although he had escaped with two of his men, they didn't know what had happened to the others.

  For his first act as governor, he posted a guard on the road to watch for the bandits. No one ever showed up.

  He had many new ideas and made many improvements. There were new ways to irrigate crops, and safer ways for the miners to tunnel. That was all good, and after awhile everyone forgot about his strangeness.

  Then he moved into the village library and made it his office. At first he just limited who could come in and look at the books. Then he setup his two companions as his personal assistants. They soon became the Literary Council. Then he started monitoring who was reading books and what they were reading. The Literary Council became the Literary Security. They posted laws that banned having a book that was not on the approved list. Anyone who was caught with an unauthorized book would be locked in the mining shed. They would then have to appear before the Governor and would not be released until he was satisfied they were not dangerous.

  "After you left, Berren and I went home with books. He was caught and is locked up waiting to be taken before the Governor."

  "But what about Caedman?" Toby asked. "Surely all those books he has can't be on the approved list."

  "Oh, the Literary Security would never come here. Everyone just thinks Caedman is a crazy old hermit, and they don't give him much thought. I don't think there's too many people who even k
now that he has books. There's only two paths that lead to Caedman's home. One is through the Valley of Rocks and the other goes past the haunted racetrack."

  "Haunted racetrack? You mean with ghosts?"

  "Well, maybe not real ghosts," she smiled, "but it's not anyplace you want to go. Just outside of town is the road that leads over the mountains to the sea. Thieves, robbers and smugglers come in on that road and meet at the old racetrack. Stories are told about how they capture ships and steal the gold, silver, jewels and other stuff. Then they haul the loot over the mountains down to the racetrack where they set up camp and divvy up the loot. Sometimes they spend several days fighting and quarreling over the treasure and planning their next raid."

  "But why would they hang out at a old racetrack? Isn't that just a big field with a circular track on it?"

  "Well, there's a bit more to it than that. Old stone terraces surround the track, if that's what it really is. The structure is so old no one is really sure what it was originally used for. Some people think it was a place for people to sit and watch whatever was happening on the track. The stone is all crumbling now, and there are piles of rubble where whole sections have collapsed. Underneath the terraces there are lots of rooms and holes where the bandits hide out, but it can't be very safe. I'd be afraid the roof would fall on my head while I was sleeping."

  Toby said, "Hey, wait a minute," and started flipping through the travel book. "Here, look at this." He showed her the picture of the arena he had seen while looking through the book in Carson's office.

  "That's the place," she said. "You never know when it's going to be deserted and when it's going to be full of outlaws. You don't want to go there."

  "Yeah, I think you're right. It gives me a bad feeling with or without ghosts." He closed the book. "So tell me about the path through the Valley of Rocks."

  "Do you have a picture of that too?" she said curiously.

  He shook his head.

  "It's a valley filled with lots of huge boulders. There are plenty of paths that twist and wind around the rocks, but only one path takes you through. It's easy to get on the wrong trail and just walk in circles. Only the rock smiths go there, and that's because they want quartz and turquoise. No one would go there just to come out here and bother Caedman."

  Toby felt a chill as he remembered the image of Caedman walking among the boulders. "Where is Caedman now?"

  "Now? Probably in the Valley of Rocks. He used to be a smith, and he still collects quartz for his work." Toby looked startled and she said, "What's the matter?"

  "I saw him. In the rocks," Toby whispered.

  "Who?" Marnie whispered back as she glanced around.

  "Caedman. I saw him in my head. He was walking around the boulders."

  "Oh," Marnie laughed. "You must have touched Sirius."

  "Who?"

  "The sentinel." She pointed to the cat. "Did you hold your hand out to him?"

  Sirius stopped washing his face and stretched.

  "The cat? Oh, well?yes?but?"

  "Sirius is a sentinel. He has a link with Caedman. When you held out your hand, he responded by reaching out his paw, and giving you an image of Caedman. At the same time, he sent Caedman an image of you so he knows you are here."

  Toby looked at her suspiciously, "You're making this up aren't you? Cats don't think pictures in your head."

  Marnie frowned. "I don't know about cats. Sirius is a sentinel," she said indignantly. Sometimes a sentinel will link with a person, and then they can share images."

  "You mean they talk in your head?"

  "No, not in words. Just images. It's like hearing a bird and knowing what the bird looks like. They send pictures. Caedman says no one can sneak up on him because Sirius would let him know who was coming."

  They both turned as they heard the sound of soft footsteps. Caedman came around the corner of the house. "Ah, Toby. Welcome back. I see you have met Sirius. A most worthy companion." He reached out and scratched the sentinel's ears.

  Toby had not noticed before, but they were rounded at the top like the ears on a teddy bear. As the sentinel stared at him, he realized that except for the color, the eyes were more like a dog's than those of a cat. Now that he looked close he could see it was not like any real cat he had ever seen. It reminded him of the ceramic cat that Janie had made in that senior class she had taken at the college. It had weird ears too. Janie loved art classes, but sometimes Toby thought she didn't have a lot of talent. Some of her stuff looked pretty abstract.

  They went inside. Caedman put a kettle of water over the fire, and began slicing up fruit. Marnie filled Toby in on the week's activities. After she and Berren had left the hut they hurried home to do their chores. Everything was normal until yesterday, when Berren was caught reading an unauthorized book. He was taken to the old mining cabin and locked in the utility shed.

  "He's been there since yesterday afternoon," Marnie said. "They let me take him some food and a blanket, but we have to get him out."

  "Didn't you say the Governor would have to question him before they would let him go?" Toby asked.

  "Yes, of course. But who knows how long it will be before that happens. We can't wait. And what happens if the Governor decides Berren is dangerous? No one has been accused of book possession before. We don't know what the Governor will do."

  "Aren't there laws? What about a trial?" Toby said.

  Marnie sighed exasperated.

  "The Governor has ultimate authority, Toby," Caedman said. "He speaks for the King. Whatever he says is the law."

  Toby shuddered. "That's not a good system."

  "Perhaps you are right. But that is how it has always been," Caedman said.

  He set a bowl in front of each of them that contained a small crunchy biscuit. On the top was a clear golden pool of honey that dripped down the sides of the biscuit. Sliced fruit floated around the bottom of the bowl in a moat of cream.

  "The old governor was kind and fair," Caedman said. "He let us elect a council of village elders, valued their wisdom, and accepted their advice. But the new Governor only listens to the men who came with him. No one can understand why the King sent us this man for our leader."

  Toby hesitatingly tasted the mixture. It was delicious. He took another large bite. This was nothing like the stuff they served in the school cafeteria.

  "You could rescue Berren," Marnie said softly.

  Toby choked and looked up to see Marnie staring at him. He swallowed hard. "Me?" he squeaked.

  "You're not from here," she said.

  "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. His appetite had left him.

  "You have the ability to travel back to your world. You could sneak into the shed and take Berren back to your world with you," she said excitedly.

  Toby looked appealingly at Caedman, hoping for a way out.

  Caedman sadly shook his head. "You cannot go in pairs. Only one can pass through the portal at a time."

  He relaxed, and took another bite. Marnie slumped back disappointedly.

  "How many people are guarding the shed, Marnie?" Caedman asked.

  "Two at a time. They stay in the cabin. I'm afraid that the Governor will question Berren and send him away." Her voice trembled and a tear rolled down her cheek.

  Caedman put his hand on her shoulder. "Do not fear. Your friends will help you. It is getting late. You must both go home, or you'll be missed. After dark, we can meet and discuss our plans. Come back here two hours after sunset. I have a plan that I will share with you then. Are we agreed?"

  Marnie said, "I'll be here."

  They both looked at Toby. He slowly nodded.

  "Then it's settled," Caedman said.

  Toby once again found himself outside the public library breathing in the pungent perfume of the purple lilacs. It was still early enough for him to stop by Alice's and pick up Janie's order.

  Unnoticed, a slim shadow with long hair stood watching from the upstairs w
indow. There was a faint twinkle at her throat as something caught the fading rays of the sun. Her long skirt brushed against the casing as she turned and slipped between the stacks of books.

  Questions swirled through Toby's mind as he raced up the street and around the block. Why did I agree to go back tonight? I was looking forward to a weekend without worrying about BAM, and now this. What am I going to do now? How do I get out of this?

  He slowed to a walk as he came around the corner. In front of him was an old adobe building that had once been a saloon. On the roof was a large fiberglass mushroom. It was tilted towards the street with the store's name on the top.

  Alice's Wonderland Cafe & Food Emporium

  Better Living through Better Eating

  Well, that's a matter of opinion Toby thought.

  In the side yard there were several round tables where the lunch patrons hung out. In keeping with the wonderland theme, they too were painted to look like mushrooms.

  Swinging doors had been replaced with a real door, and the entire structure was painted the typical salmon color of the southwest. White patches showed through in several places where the fa?ade had crumbled off. An overhang extended over the doorway supported by evenly spaced wooden beams.

  As Toby entered the store a metal bell clanged noisily on the inside of the door announcing his arrival. He passed by the bins along the wall that were filled with an assortment of strange mushrooms. Fungus among us, Toby thought. Cheeses from around the world were piled haphazardly in hanging baskets.

  Along the other wall in neat orderly rows were earthenware crocks of tea and small burlap bags filled with coffee beans from different countries. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. Too bad it doesn't taste as good as it smells, he thought.

  Hanging beads covered a doorway in the back. Just in front of it was a long, highly polished counter that had once served as a bar. The front of the counter had been converted into a myriad of shelves that were now adorned with spices and exotic herbs.

  Toby made his way to the counter. A bowl at one end held small purple peppers next to a carafe of freshly brewed coffee. He was just leaning over to examine the peppers when he heard the soft rustle of the bamboo beads. He looked up to see Alice standing behind the counter.

  "Ah, Toby. You're very late," she said. "I thought maybe you forgot." Tiny mushroom earrings wiggled as she moved her head.

  "Yes, late for a very important date," he recited dutifully. He was rewarded with a big smile and a giggle, which made her tiny mushroom earrings bounce and sway. She reached under the counter and pulled out a bag.

  "Here's your grandmother's order. Oh, and something for you." She opened a large cookie jar that was shaped like a white rabbit holding a pocket watch. Pulling out a large cookie, she handed it to him."

  "Thanks," he said with a smile. "What kind is it?"

  "That would be telling," she smirked. "Let's just call it Friday Surprise."

  More natural ingredients he thought ruefully. The bell clanged and an old man walked in. Toby saw his opportunity and said, "I gotta run or Janie won't have this stuff for her salad tonight." He hurried out.

  There was a brown jeep and a car parked in front of the store. As he hurried around the back of the car he came face to face with a bulldog. It barred its teeth and growled. Toby stopped and tentatively took a step. The dog barked and growled again. Toby impulsively tossed it the cookie. "Alice's Friday surprise," he said. The dog caught the cookie in mid air and chomped it down. He then noticed with relief that the dog was tied to a pole. Probably belongs to the guy in the store, he thought. The dog wagged its tail slightly. Toby took another step and the dog let out a muffled woof. "You're welcome. It'll be our secret," Toby said. He hurried past and headed home.