Black Tie
By Kris Shamloo
Black Tie
Kris Shamloo
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Kris Shamloo
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be sold, modified, or used in any way commercially without explicit consent from the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please download an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not download it, then please return to Smashwords.com and download your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter 1 – Lost
The light was uncomfortably bright; I just wanted to sleep in for a few more minutes. I kept fidgeting to get into a more comfortable position. Shortly after I had to concede defeat, I was awake and I was going to stay awake. I sat up from my bed to find there was no bed at all. I was lying on terra firma. The hell? I thought. Growing amounts of panic started their drip into my skull. Where am I? After a few minutes, or maybe it was hours, (but who can say really?) I calmed down and began to study my predicament.
Well... I'm definitely isolated. Around me was a flat desolate landscape, part desert and part wasteland. Not too much made sense at the moment. I knew somehow that using the sun and a stick one could find your bearings. The terrain offered up nothing of use to this end, the plain was utterly devoid of anything remarkable in anyway. I removed my shoe and propped up it vertically with some small stones. I marked the tip of the shadow with another stone and waited.
Waiting for a few minutes to pass I reined in some of my panicked emotions and began to analyze my situation. Oh man I feel terrible. I began hacking and coughing. I had ejected an inordinate amount of spittle, no bile, no stomach acid, just vast swaths of spittle. Gross. The suffocating sensation of choking passed and my nerves once again settled. The longer I paced around my sun-compass the more I began to realize the severity of my situation. I have no idea where I am, I have no idea what the hell is going on, and I don't even know who I am.
There it is isn't it? I hadn't yet even considered my own identity; I was too taken aback by the rest of the situation. Think dammit! Nothing. Blank. No name, no social security number, no address, nothing. I could feel the hollowness in my brain where my memories had once lived. Where'd you go?
After this troubling inner monologue I returned to my makeshift sun-compass and felt that tingling, paralyzing feeling of fear. No that's all wrong. It wasn't wrong, it was as obvious and as inexplicable as gravity. The scale of the problem I was facing increased dramatically with this discovery. The shadow hadn't moved a millimeter. What the hell does that mean? I knew it was a sloppy set up but the shadow still should have moved, I was walking barefoot for some time, waiting. I went limp.
After the tidal surge of terror had ebbed in my veins I got a loose grip on myself. OK I'm in a shitty situation but if I can stay calm, I can figure this out. Alrighty, I'm still alive, small steps right? I'm still breathing, double down. My heart is still beating; three for three, life can't be that bad, right? I could see the storm cloud of a painful realization forming in the back of my mind.
The gears were turning, how do I know I'm still really alive? I guess it doesn't really matter does it? Everything I define as being alive is there; even if I was technically dead it wouldn't really change my predicament. This thin string of reason was sufficient to quiet my fears but a twinge of doubt lingered in the fringes, a scavenger stalking a dying victim.
The urge to sprint came suddenly and I ran. Am I really running from my own thoughts? What the hell is wrong with me? After my panic sprint for about two minutes ended I was gaping for breath. While my physiology forced me to rest, I once again surveyed my surroundings. Almost imperceptibly, the terrain was sloping. Waiting until my chest had stopped heaving, I laid flat to the earth and studied this slope, I had an idea that heading downhill would be a smart move. Why does it look like that? That's so odd. The terrain wasn't a straight slope; it was just barely curved, akin to the curve of an enormous bowl or sink. I followed the rays of the curve towards where I thought their origin was; the bottom of the basin.
There it was, just a tiny black hair in the distance, barely below the horizon, something in the distance, maybe dark, maybe tall, you couldn’t know for sure this far away. I knew I must reach it. I set off immediately; there was nothing else to do anyway. The tiny object must have been tens of miles away, staring at it, in hopes it would grow in size faster yielded poor results. Eventually I became dizzy and frustrated with exhaustion and sat down for a moment to collect myself
I scanned the landscape once more with the hope that something else of interest would reveal itself, but only the dark object stood out. Resting my chin on my knees I sighed. That's odd. I reached down to two smooth, flat, tan stones. They're identical. Turning them over I could identify no difference between the two. I picked up another stone, similar in shape but smaller, and struck one of them to place an identifying mark between them. There you go, now you two can be yourselves.
There was an unsettling sadness for the two stone brothers, after marking one of them. As if somehow I had broken a bond they shared. Why do I feel emotional about some rocks? Feeling both recovered and a strong urge to separate myself from my two violated rocks I picked myself up and moved towards the object in the distance.
I was making good progress, or at least it felt that way. I took few breaks and every step towards my goal invigorated me. I was certain the growing object in the distance was the key to this place. Maybe it contained the reason I was stranded here in the unknown, or even better, a chance to escape. Escape from here? Where's here? Where would I escape to? The wasteland was my reality and I could think of nothing else. Every assault on my memory yielded less and less information. I kept walking.
Nightfall. Well, it should be nightfall by now. Only it wasn't nighttime at all, it was still midday; in fact I was beginning to piece together an irrational theory about my failed shadow-compass from earlier. The sun hadn't been moving, at all. I studied the sun in my periphery; it seemed to be almost completely overhead, with a slight lean towards the horizon. Wait a second. I felt the return of that terrifying surge of fear, every square inch of skin on my body tingled as my blood retreated to safety away from my extremities. For a moment I was paralyzed. Then I collapsed on hands and knees. I started coughing up spittle again as I came to terms with what was now unmistakable.
Unbelievable, how, why, what is actually going on? Where the hell am I? My eyes welled up as I tried to rationalize my latest discovery. Nothing could explain it, but I knew to my core that I was right. The fact that I knew the sun wasn't moving didn't bother me anymore, I had dealt with that. The truth was that the sun was pinned directly over the object I was heading towards. The inherent curiosity I had for that object was now marred by a twinge of the supernatural, the fear that some forces unknown and greater than you can imagine are at work and guiding your fate. Or the even more terrifying notion that your fate is merely the result of a stray ripple, a chance vibration in the pulse of the universe.
Ten, maybe fifteen miles closer towards the bottom of the basin I could outline my target; a large and mirage rippled tower black as obsidian. It stood there, beckoning me towards it, yet foreboding me against taking one more step in its direction. I felt the same way Pandora must have felt when she first saw her box, the knowledge that you must and simultaneously must not continue. In the monotony of the march towards the tower I reattempted the siege on my memory. Nothing distinct came up, sometimes the name of a city, or the vague description of an animal. One thing was certain; my memory was only getting worse. Whatever world I had stumbled into was rapidly becoming my own reality. The slope of the basin was imperceptible now, but the tower grew steadfast with each step.
As I continued towards the tower the desolate landscape began to evolve some strange peculiarities. The hard dirt I was walking on was littered with flat round stones. Every mile I progressed the stones became more and more similar. By the time I was five miles away from the base of the tower they were indistinguishable and arranged in what appeared to be a large triangular grid, perhaps one yard between each stone. The arrangement pointed directly towards the tower. Every stone I mistakenly loosed filled me with the guilt of a child who knows he's done wrong but doesn't understand the rule he broke. I tread carefully.
The tower was around one hundred yards tall. Its surface was so black it seemed that it was absorbing the light from the sun that was perched directly above it. The triangular stone grid circling the tower ended another hundred yards from the base. The tower was an obelisk with four sides that gently sloped inwards towards a pyramidal cap. I knew the cap was there from walking towards the tower but it could not be discerned from the base of the structure. The material felt smooth, stone like but also metallic. It was covered with a very subtle embossing of something cross between a circuit board and the withered assault of a kudzu vine.
I inspected the tower for some time. First, I simply stared for hours trying to find some fault in the stone, some crack, a lever, anything. There has to be something here. It made no sense; a blinding sense of purpose filled me yet I could not identify my goal. I was driven, inexorably driven towards some final outcome that was as mysterious as the obelisk. The endless drone of the desert had faded from my mind. The tower filled my consciousness. I was struck with inspiration and immediately turned back to the desert. I used my shirt as a basket and carried as many of the identical stone discs back from the grid. I purposefully gathered only the inner most ring of the stones, it lessened the feeling of disturbing something sacred.
The twinge of upsetting the gods was lessened as I began executing my plan. I carefully stacked the stone discs adjacent to one of the corners of the obelisk. I dug my heel in the dirt and drew a single line. Don't surrender your logic, you can figure this out. I moved to the next corner and drew two lines. Each corner was numbered. I then lettered the faces from A to D. The stack of discs was as high as I could have reached.
I placed my palm flat against the surface of the tower. My fingers perfectly aligned with the top of the first disc. Be patient, you have time. I closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, and focused as intently as I could on the sensation of the contact between the obelisk and my hand.
The first length was the hardest. I lost focus countless times while slowly scanning the base of the tower with my fingers. After about thirty minutes the first pass was done and I removed the first five stone discs, the same width my hand had covered. I placed the discs at the second corner, and returned to the original stack. Hour after hour passed away invisibly under the stationary sun. The first two faces were completely scanned, nothing discernable could be felt. I started to worry that this might be a foolish plan. If I couldn't see anything why would I be able to feel it? I began tracing the third wall.
I had walked two full steps before I realized what I had touched. I froze. It was something wasn't it? I dare not open my eyes; I slowly etched my way back to the source. At first I thought I overshot it in my excitement. But then I felt it again. It was ever so slightly out of place from the shallow embossing covering the rest of the structure. I paused and narrowed my feel to my fingers. Yep, there it is. It was a bump, tiny, negligible, not the grandiose mechanism I was expecting to match the magnificence of the tower.
I lost the exact whereabouts of the bump occasionally, inducing slight panic at times. Only when I fully calmed my senses could I find it again, eyes firmly shut. The material the tower consisted of was just too dark to make out the bump visually. I pushed, turned, pressed, begged, pleaded, and insulted the tiny blemish on the tower. Nothing, not a damned thing. I lost confidence in my ambiguous quest, I had found something, only it didn't matter because I couldn't identify it or use it. I imagined this is how physicists feel when they witness incomprehensible phenomena, they know something incredible is happening and are given the ultimate punishment of being forbidden to understand their observations.
I sat directly in front of the bump; it was at about chest level when standing. I stared at the general area of it and began to pick the lock with my mind. What haven't I tried? I had thrown sand and dirt on it, spit on it, wept on it, attacked it with a disc. I got it! Before I could test my new theory I began giggling uncontrollably. Giddiness swept through me at the elegance of the solution. I knew it would work. I stood up, closed my eyes and with the precision of a surgeon placed my fingertips directly on the blemish. I leaned in, exhaled, and kissed.
The emotion of kissing held me there longer than I had expected as the image of a beautiful girl manifested and then vanished before my lips. I slowly backed from the obelisk staring upwards. Your move buddy. My thought was immediately answered with an unimpressive 'thud' that sounded as if it originated hundreds of meters below my feet. I felt the slow steady surge of some ancient power climbing unstoppably towards the tower. It took longer than I had expected but the whole tower became alive. Jagged and strangely shaped panels manifested on its surface, they protruded for a moment, expelled a large quantity of what appeared to be steam and then vanished back into the skin of the obelisk.
The initial surge flowed with a wave towards the pinnacle as hundreds of panels of varying sizes vented and vanished. Once the influx had stopped and the tower was receiving steady power only occasionally and at random intervals did a panel appear and ventilate. Steam means boilers, water, an engine! My brain couldn't piece the next revelation together fast enough. It seemed that my epiphany triggered the cataclysm of my fears. The obelisk does someth-
Darkness flooded the landscape like a crashing wave. The air ripped from my lungs. The sun was blotted out and the horizon was illuminated with erratic and fierce streaks of purple lightning. The haze was toxic, I choked through each breath. My instincts kicked in and I frantically looked for a way to climb the tower in hopes to escape this inky death that surrounded me.
I froze. A surge of paralyzing fear took me, my skin crawled and my breath froze. In the corner of my vision I thought I could see some grotesque silhouette. The moment I turned to examine the shadow it had vanished. Get a grip, there's nothing out there. I was trying in vain to push my back into the immovable wall of the obelisk. The lightning ceased and as the perfect dark sank around me I could feel death approaching.
Steam erupted from the panel I was unknowingly leaning against. The sudden movement and violence of the ventilation threw me down, I looked at the vent perplexed, not fully comprehending what had happened until the steam had dissipated and the panel returned perfectly flush into the tower.
The shadows! As I turned away from the obelisk and back towards the unknown haze a massive lightning bolt struck not far from me. In the same instant it struck the sun over the obelisk reappeared and swiftly lifted the veil of the toxic shadow. The animal fear of being hunted faded. In the distance near where the lightning had struck there was a new figure, a small black pedestal.
Chapter 2 – Descent
With each step towards the black pedestal the fear that had invaded my mind during the blackout lessened. The pedestal stood where the innermost ring of stones had been. The surface was smooth and uncannily dark, made from the same material as the obelisk. The flat square top bore a single white object, a small marble figurine of a man weeping. I held it and examined it with pure curiosity. Why are you here? I felt pity and sadness for my little marble man. I turned him over in my hand, staring, waiting for a response I knew I wouldn't get from him.
I pocketed the figurine and examined the pedestal further. I gripped the square top of the pedestal and tried to remove it from its base. The top held firm but hinted subtly that it did indeed move. I tried pushing and sliding to no avail though it was now obvious that the top could definitely be shifted. I let the grip come back to my tired hands. Oh, I bet that's it. I smirked at my preconceived victory and regrasped the edges of the table top. I strained every muscle in my body to rotate the top of the pedestal. Exasperated I sat down next to the small stone structure. It refused to budge.
I know it moves, how the hell do I move it? After five minutes of recuperating and relaxing my nerves I sat up and looked at the pedestal inquisitively. I started giggling to myself as I stood up and reproached the top of the pedestal. As I grasped the edges again I applied a small fraction of the force I had applied earlier and the top rotated smoothly ninety degrees. Noted, always try both ways. As the top realigned with the base it firmly clicked into its new position. The pedestal silently retracted into the hard packed sand and vanished. A massive cloud of steam bellowed from a ventilating panel on the base of the obelisk.
The panel continued to protrude from the tower further than normal, as it fully crossed the threshold of the tower's surface it crashed unceremoniously into the dirt. I stared at the void in the obelisk. I have to go inside don't I? I approached the opening cautiously. My feet planted firmly outside the tower I peered inside, a green iridescent glow filled the cramped space. The interior was packed full of dull metal piping and pieces of complex machinery foreign to my eyes. A series of small pipes terminated around the edge of the doorway. This must be where the steam ventilates through. As the thought completed hot steam exploded out of one of the upper vents. I couldn't place any distinct sights or sounds but I had the feeling that massive objects were shifting with each roar of exhaust.
I stared down the tight corridor leading into the center of the obelisk. The path dog-legged around a set of enormous piping, obscuring the center of the room from view. This is it, if I cross this threshold there's no turning back. What would I even turn back to? The desert? The choking black haze? I'm damned either way. The paralysis of the decision still held me for a moment. I lifted my leg through the doorway. I lightly set my foot down on the metal grate of the corridor; the neon green glow pulsed inside.
I recoiled. My mind went blank; I slumped against the outside of the obelisk. The sun shone down on my head. I enjoyed the brightness and the steady warmth. A feeling of intense weariness filled me; my mind became a void as I slid ungracefully to the ground. I lay there motionless in the dirt.
The girl. For a moment I saw a slim figure in the mirage of the desert. She vanished. Come back. My only desire was to be comforted, to be told it was going to be ok. I doubted my strength to see this trial through to the end. I doubted my mind to uncloud the mystery. I doubted everything. Most of all I just wanted someone to help. I'll never see her again. I didn't fight the emotions, I let them come freely. The intensity of them filled me like a wave, building, peaking, and vanishing. The minutes ticked away and I was rejuvenated.
I stood up to face the threshold once more. I quickly crossed the doorway into the interior of the tower. The glow seemed to be emanating from the machinery itself. The floor was a thick metal grate with a murky abyss below. The path was walled with countless miles of piping, valves, and incessantly humming machinery. I guided around the dog-leg, the narrow path led towards the center of the room.
There was a small rectangular cage with a pyramidal cap. The only thing to suggest this cage was an elevator was the small lever mounted inside it. The cage appeared to be flush with the floor and gave no sway when I stepped inside it. Full steam ahead Captain. The switch felt satisfying, clicking firmly into the down position.
The lift began its descent undramatically. It dropped smoothly into the darkness of the unlit shaft. The only light was the green glow from the metal of the cage. The acceleration downwards was relentless. The light breeze became a steady wind. The cage continued to accelerate. The steady wind became a violent gale as the cage continued to gain speed. Wow this is fast.
The sensation of moving at unbelievable speed in darkness was unsettling. The gale died down with the same slow drive that birthed it. The lift returned to a reasonable speed as it approached the bottom. The orange glow of fire could be seen below me.
The lift reached the bottom of shaft, I wasn't sure how deep I was underground but by the length and speed of the journey it must have been miles. The cage was barely moving as it crossed the ceiling of the antechamber. The source of the fiery glow could be seen now. The room was vast and empty save for the centerpiece. A massive glass ring floating in the center of the room, filled with fire.
The room was circular with a floor of pale marble. The lift quietly sat in the corner, still softly glowing green. I paced slowly around the glass ring, staring in awe. The heat from the ring could be felt through the glass. A dark metal ring equal in diameter was embedded in the floor below and ceiling above the ring. Magnets maybe? The metallic ping from my tapping confirmed my suspicion. What’s this? Floating effortlessly in the center of the glass ring was a small gunmetal disc. I ducked under the ring of fire and stood inside the center of the glass.
Nervous fear bubbled in my neck. I reached for the disc, it was held firmly in the magnetic field. I grabbed both sides of the disc and pulled my full weight on it. The field let go and I crashed to the ground disc in hand. Just because it worked doesn't mean it wasn't stupid. The pain in my back and shoulder subsided to a dull throb and I examined my prize. It seemed completely unremarkable until I turned it over.
That crippling feeling of fear of the unknown swept over me. The feeling lingered as my brain contemplated the single cryptic word etched neatly into the opposite side of the disc, Welcome.
**
After fully examining both sides nothing but the cryptic greeting could be discerned. I stood up from my seat in the middle of the ring of fire and placed the disc back in the field. It required the same force to push it back into the invisible net as it did to remove it. The last touch of my hand on the disc set it slowly spinning.
I ducked back under the glass ring and savored the warmth it gave for a moment. The room was devoid of any features or markings. I briefly considered scanning the walls again with my hand, as I had done on the surface. That probably won't work twice. I was getting better at emptying my mind of distractions; I was beginning to fully accept my position in this mystery world. It was the only world I knew.
I remembered the little statuette I had retrieved from the pedestal and removed him from my pocket. He lay in my hand forever weeping. I carefully placed him on the metal disc anxiously awaiting a response. It's still spinning. The weeping man circled while my brain followed suit. I removed him from the slowly moving disc. Maybe the ring will spin too. The massive glass ring wouldn’t budge. Maybe not.
Try everything, I thought. I gripped both sides of the disc and set it spinning quickly. A series of audible mechanical clicks spiraled around me. First you unlock the lock. I ducked back under the glass ring and placed my hands firmly around it again. It moved freely now. I began running with the ring setting it spinning as well. Then you open the door. The reaction was immediate. I heard the dull groan of large objects being moved against their will. The walls began to shift and break into even strips of material. Spurts of steam popped out of the broken seams and the entire room began to change shape.
The circular room had reversed its curve inwards resulting in four corners with narrowing hallways. The lift I had entered on was now adjacent to the moving wall where before it was sitting well away from it. That was interesting. The four new corridors terminated in metal doorways, the same iridescent metal used inside the hulk of the obelisk. Each door was marked with circles. One with one circle, another with two, and so on. Door number one shall we? I walked towards the door.
Upon reaching the door I was suddenly hit with a strong urge to return to the surface. Keep going buddy, this is just the beginning. Fittingly, the door had no apparent handle or opening mechanism. I'm never going to get a break am I? My body and mind were tired from the puzzling nature of this place. I sat down in the corridor and closed my eyes. I didn't think about the door, I didn't think about anything.
I felt a strange sense of relaxation I hadn't felt before. I wasn't asleep and I wasn't awake. I just existed. This is nice. Consciously recognizing I was enjoying myself had snapped me out of my drifting mental state. And now it's gone. The metal disc was obscured behind the majesty of the glass ring of fire. The glass ring was still spinning but now at barely a crawl, I assumed the disc was doing likewise.
I stood back up and examined the door. I said aloud, "Just open dammit I'm tired of games." The door obliged. A barely visible seam in the center of the door split as the two halves swung open. I stood there stunned for a moment, contemplating what just happened. That's the first time frustration has ever solved a problem.
The long solemn hallway was illuminated by a long length of fire filled glass; much thinner in diameter than the glass centerpiece in the anteroom, and much dimmer as well. I could see the end of the hallway opening to another section. The marble floor stopped at the threshold and gave way to a vast expanse of soft sand. The illuminating glass also ceased and pale pink-blue starlight filled the room.
I crossed the threshold. The chamber was magnificent; a massive spherical dome giving the illusion of the night sky. The entire ceiling was studded with tiny points of light like stars. The sloping walls reached the sandy floor almost vertically. The urge to touch it was irresistible.
The feel was strange, it was firm like hard rubber with slightly more give than you would expect. I pressed against one of the points of light; it felt no different than the rest of the material. I moved away from the entrance towards the three stone rings on the opposite side of the chamber. They look like wells. They were, the three low stone rings were filled with water.
I peered in the center well and couldn't see the bottom. I carefully touched the surface of the water. It was ice cold. I sat on the stone lip of the well. Looking up the ceiling gave the perfect illusion of a starry expanse; I lost myself in the thought of being outside for a moment. Only if I were outside, it would be day. It's always the day outside. The twilight was beautiful.
I turned to the wells, the fear of the unknown returned. What if something is down there? I didn't see any other options. I began to remove my clothing to enter the first well. To my relief, only the center well was frigid. Hold on. Maybe there's another way, something other than blindly forward. I thought of everything I had seen so far.
What other way is there? Forward is just a word, I'm not moving in any direction I'm just moving. I hadn't been given any choices. The only choice I have is to move or to sit still. I sat on the lip of the well half undressed. My eyes lost focus and drifted towards some unknown in the distance. Something deep the back of my mind had made its presence known. It had originated these thoughts. I didn't know whether to fear it or embrace it.
The immobilizing thought vanished and I turned back towards the well. Pony up. I lowered myself in. Hanging on the lip of the well I slowed my breathing. I took a large gulp of air and sluggishly descended feet first. I didn't go very far. I surfaced and refilled my lungs. Relax, stay relaxed. I went deeper and deeper, eventually getting the courage to turn in the tight space and swim down headfirst.
Though my descents were getting further down the well there was no end in sight. The well continued downward, seemingly forever into the inky abyss. I'll need a new plan. I checked the remaining two wells in the same manner. Definitely need a new plan.
I walked wet and naked back to the antechamber; I dried under the warmth of the glass ring. The endless storm of fire inside the ring was beautiful; while I mechanically redressed myself I enjoyed the marvel of the ring. Even in my prison there is beauty. I thought of the starry sky in the first room. Despite my failure in the wells I felt encouraged.
The green glow of the lift caught my eye. Let's check back upstairs. I climbed back into the elevator and threw the switch once more. Knowing what to expect the ride was less frightening, the tremendous wind was made more eerie by the utter lack of vibration in the lift. It just smoothly flew up. The lift came to a halt back into the machinery room at the base of the obelisk.
I explored the interior more thoroughly. Nothing seemed out of place or in disrepair, every valve, cog, and moving part sauntered along with casual precision. The whole feel of the place was as if this sort of engineering perfection was an everyday occurrence, there was a palpable sense of nonchalance to the motion of the machinery. It's as if the machinery knows it's working well. I headed towards the entrance.
The brightness overwhelmed me, but my eyes quickly adjusted. I stood on the crashed plate of the entrance and examined the desolate surroundings. I thought of the antechamber and the three wells. I walked towards the perimeter of the stone field. I paced around the inner ring eyeing the obelisk. I had the look and feel of a predator, the obelisk my prey. I'll figure you out, just wait. The brimming confidence building in me was pierced by the memory of the frightening black haze, that sensation of imminent doom. I lowered my head and walked back towards the tower.
I returned to the machinery room. Head still bowed; I was looking at my feet standing on the metal grates. I straddled one of the pieces and placed my fingers in the gaps of the platform. The grate moved slowly, it was held in the by the pressure of rubber bushings. I held the metal rectangle I had acquired. This thing is beefy. The unexpected weight quickly tired my grip. I set the piece down and looked into the darkness of the void it created. There was a forest of sprawling piping. The neatly packed pipes in the main chamber had exploded into the tangled root system of a wild tree. I lowered myself into the piping jungle.
The network of piping provided the only illumination in the room. I cautiously climbed down to bottom. The floor and walls were the same dark black obsidian of the obelisk. The pale green glow was easily swallowed by the light absorbing material. From the edge of the large cylindrical room I could see the massive cluster of pipes entering from the base of the obelisk. Crossing the threshold into the pipe room the roots of the tower sprawled in every direction and terminated into the walls of the room. The machinist’s jungle.
I weaved my way through the forest; the center was too densely packed to be investigated. A full lap of the perimeter revealed there was nothing of interest. Well that was pointless. I started my climb up towards the open grate. Staring at the blank hole the unusual weight of the metal struck out in my mind. As I climbed higher towards the hole the plan materialized in my head.
Reaching the machinery room I replaced the grate in its original position on the main walkway. I walked towards the end of the walkway where the floor circled around the lift in the center. I bent down and began removing the grates behind the elevator cage. I skipped every other grate so the gap I created didn't become too large. After I had removed three I loaded them into the elevator.
Progress, I hope. I flipped the lift switch and dropped steadily towards the antechamber. I smirked at the ring of fire as I walked the first heavy piece towards the wells. I leaned it against the first well and returned to the lift for the second. A few minutes later and all three pieces were in the spherical chamber.
I went to the center well grabbing the first glowing metal grate. Here goes nothing. I dropped the piece into the water. It splashed and sank quickly. A tremendous slam followed the clang of the metal reaching the bottom. Oh no. I turned around at the source of the sound. The entrance to the hallway had vanished.
Chapter 3 – Wet
I stared at the space where the hallway had been; as if my gaze would somehow coerce it back into existence. I was stunned by the finality of it. I was always going to have to face these wells alone anyway. Why do I feel cut off? From what? From who? The feeling stuck despite the lack of explanation, for the first time since I had arrived I truly felt alone. As my mind settled I turned back towards the well. I crawled towards the lip of the well and looked down. There it is. At the bottom of the well, maybe fifty feet down, the pale green glow of the grate shimmered. I threw the two other pieces in their respective wells revealing the same thing. That's deep but it's possible.
Once again I stripped my clothing. While preparing for the first dive attempt I had another idea, I should have brought more metal... the weight would have helped me descend faster. The thought reminded me of the sealed hallway and I shuddered. I sat with my feet in the well. I drew in slow, deep breaths. I silently slid into the water and began my swim down. I felt comfortable in the water; I knew I would have no trouble making it down now that I had a visible destination.
I reached the metal grate and looked around at the bottom of the well. The stone walls terminated into the stone floor. I patiently scanned the walls of the well to find whatever I was looking for, nothing. The smooth bricks of the well were bare. I ran out of time and headed towards the surface. I recalled what I had seen at the bottom while I caught my breath. Nothing stood out to me; the only thing unusual down there was the grate that I had added. Maybe it's under the grate? Eager to test my new theory and return to the warm glass ring I hurriedly swam down to the bottom. My chest started to burn for oxygen before I was two thirds of the way down. I wasn't going to make it. My excitement had drummed up my heart rate and I was burning air much faster than normal.
Reluctantly I turned around and began my return ascent. Five feet from the surface my vision began to go dark. Don't black out, fight it, focus, concentrate. I gasped for breath when I broke the smooth surface of the water. I sat on the edge of the well defeated. What's the point? Rage filled me. I screamed aloud "What's the fucking point?" I listened to the silent indifference of the faux night sky. I was a leper with no one to hate me; it was the cold indifference of the place that got to me. I dug in my pants pocket for the statue of the weeping man. "I know how you feel." We wept together.
A short time later I had pieced myself together. The feelings of rage and despair came, were expressed, and passed. I turned back to the well. I placed the weeping man back in my pocket for safe keeping. I filled my lungs with air and returned into the water. I reached the grate and lifted up. Beneath the grate was a small recessed handle. I gripped it and lifted. The handle lifted a lid covering a small hole in the bottom of the well.
In the hole was a small shining orb. I looked at it unimpressed, that's it? I grabbed the sphere and headed to the surface. The orb was a glass ball filled with a bright red liquid. The vividness of the color was out of place in the twilight of the false stars. I gently set it down amongst my clothes.
I approached the center well. A strong sense of foreboding emanated from its icy cold water, the first well was much warmer. I ignored it and moved to the third well. The third well held the same secret as the first, only this time a radiant blue swirled inside the orb. I had retrieved it in only two dives this time. The satisfaction of retrieving the second orb was short lived. The center well loomed in my mind. I had no excuse now, the center well sat there ice cold. The only discernable difference between the first two wells was the temperature. Yet despite this the center well seemed insurmountable. I approached it with the same fear and respect one would approach a sleeping beast.
My pale reflection glimmered in the twilight of the well as I examined the grate resting on the bottom. I guess that's what I look like. My features distracted me from my objective for only a moment. Fifty feet away, distorted by the water, the grate looked just as the others had, a pale luminous speck. How long am I going to put this off? I lowered myself in; the cold had shocked me into erratic breathing. I relaxed myself and in a few short minutes was diving towards the depths of the center well.
The bottom was identical as the other two wells; I reverently lifted the last grate revealing the final stone handle. I curled my fingers around the handle. The reaction was immediate. The handle violently retracted into the bottom of the well, pulling my arm along with it. The whole length of my arm had been swallowed by the floor of the well. I let go to pull my arm out. Shit! I was too slow; a clamp instantly seized my wrist, my arm was trapped. The struggle had burnt the rest of the oxygen in my lungs, I craved air, I craved the surface. It could have been five feet away or five hundred, it wouldn't have mattered.
I looked around for any clue, a switch, a lever, something, anything to release me from the icy pit. The burning in my chest had spread to my limbs; my muscles began to contract uncontrollably. Any mental faculty I had left was being used solely to fight the relentless urge to breathe. This is it. This is how you die. My body stopped contracting; the only remaining oxygen in my blood was shunted to my brain for a few more precious seconds of life.
The clamp around my wrist let go. I desperately tried to pull my hand out fast enough but the clamp regripped. The handle! In my panicked frenzy my fingers had unknowingly clawed their way back around the stone handle. I quickly reached for it again, the clamp let go again. I pulled my arm out, still holding the handle. It slid out easily. But it was already too late; I couldn't ascend fifty feet without more air. I have to try. I planted my feet and with one final effort bolted for the surface. The light of the world evaporated. I went unconscious.
I was lying prone on a magic carpet, my arms were crossed and my chin rested on them. A vast sparkling city sat before me, in the middle of the desert. The city formed a bustling glowing ring around a large teardrop shaped oasis. At the tip of the teardrop a magnificent palace stood proudly. The palace couldn't be imagined without the city, nor could the city be imagined without the palace. The sight was breathtaking.
To the east the tiny silhouette of a man riding a dark horse sped towards the city and the oasis. Who is this rider in the night? Does he bear good or ill will? My carpet slowly descended towards the desert floor. I stood on the carpet near the outskirts of the city. It had landed and sat motionless on the sand. As I stepped off I heard an inhuman shriek, I crouched instinctively. The black haze appeared out of nowhere and devoured me. I was hacking and coughing uncontrollably as it filled my lungs.
I awoke from my dream hacking and coughing water on the floor of the well. The stone surface was still wet though the water had vanished. I was wasted, my limbs were leaden and fatigued, my chest ached and my head pounded. Every breath restored a small iota of my strength; I sat slumped against the wall of the well. Eyes shut, mind shut. Breathing was the only burden I had the strength to bear.
I think an hour had passed before I willed my eyes open, the stones now held only the hint of dampness, save for where my body had prevented the water from evaporating. I stood and looked up at the distant opening to the well. Damn. The air allowed more light to reach the bottom than before but the grate still provided the majority of the illumination, casting a radioactive green shadow on everything. The hole my arm was trapped in remained.
I pieced together the puzzle. Pulling back on the handle had triggered some sort of draining mechanism, even if I had enough oxygen to make the distance I wouldn't have been able to get out of the well if the water had dropped just a few feet. I had blacked out mid ascent, the water draining had pulled me to the floor of the well and by some miracle I hadn't inhaled enough water to kill myself. Damn.
The well was too smooth to scale normally. I went back to the hole and tried my best to examine it. The handle sat innocently at the bottom. I really don't want to do this again. I reluctantly placed my arm back into the hole and grab the handle. I turned it, pulled it, and pushed it. It held fast. I removed my grip, I hesitated a moment, the arm clamp did not activate. Well that's a relief. The weight of the near drowning began to lift and the turnings in my mind became increasingly lucid. I began examining the stone blocks lining the well, a hidden cache maybe?
The patient discipline learned from meticulously examining the base of the obelisk became invaluable as I similarly tapped and pressed each reachable stone. My mind wandered. An innocuous stone gave way. My focus snapped back to the present. What's this? I placed both hands on the stone and steadily moved it back. The stone below had a hollow top. Sitting quietly in the recession was a worn leather bound journal. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I was scared that the book would reveal some terrible revelation about my presence in this place. I reached for the journal with trepidation and sat leaning against the wall of the well. I opened it.
I shut the book, not because of its contents; I hadn't read a single line yet. What the hell was that? I looked up. I had never felt terror like this before. It was all consuming, if my breath wasn't already stolen away from me I would have gagged on it.
The dark shadowy outlines of men stood ringing the top of the well. Oh God I'm not alone. An inhuman scream emanated from the top of the well, it was the violent grinding of stones overlaid with the terrible screech of metal against chalkboard. The paralysis of fear turned into disbelief at what I saw next.
One of the figures jumped. Its human outline grew as it hurtled towards me. I finally broke my stasis and pinned myself against the wall of the well. The figures body smashed into the surface of the well and a massive shower of sand engulfed me. Sand? I looked down, nothing remained but sand. I didn't have time to analyze the situation, more battle cries emanated from the top of the well.
Two more shadows flew towards me; they crashed similarly into the bottom. Sand flew everywhere. The floodgates came open, the sand demons were endless. Their bodies became my step ladder out of the well. I had risen almost ten feet atop the growing layer of sand. I clutched the journal tightly in one arm. The assault stopped. The sand demons lined the entrance of the well.
They're waiting for something. I waited with them. They stared at me while I stared at them, like two enemies pacing between a glass wall that would inevitably be shattered. They were sizing me up, I was sizing them up. They stood motionless at the well entrance for hours. I realized that I must do something to progress our battle. There must be another stone to press. I found one. It slid back only a few inches and then made a satisfying 'click'. The floor began to rise. The mass of sand below me was being pushed towards the well entrance. The starlight of the ceiling pulsated brighter and brighter.
The sand monsters stood motionless, they were ready. Halfway towards the surface they began jumping again, just one or two at a time now to gauge the height. Sometimes only their legs would be destroyed and I would have to stomp their clawing torsos out of existence. The feeling of their bodies crumble and collapse under my feet was pleasing.
Finally having an enemy other than my own mind and a desolate tower was a strange relief. I knew that in a few feet the full assault would start. I clasped the journal shut and threw it out of the well. The monsters didn't react to it at all. Good, they're only interested in me. They leaped.
Their attacks were wild and flailing, their bodies fragile, a singular blow would dispatch most of my opponents. Their landed strikes stung and scraped my skin. One of the leaping demons landed on my arm removing a large chunk of skin. The well had almost risen fully to the surface, I was taking a beating, their numbers were endless. As the well returned to the surface I saw the scale of my problem. The sand warriors were manifesting out of the sand of the vast chamber, a growing, writhing cornfield of faceless warriors charging towards me.
I won't last in this. I instinctively dove into the first well. The assault ceased after two of the beasts leapt and dissolved into the water of the well. My breath was running out rapidly, I was exhausted from the fight. The refreshing water cooled me and stung at my open wounds. I lingered beneath the surface as I watched the blood smoke off my arm like a burning cigarette.
I broached the surface, the monsters arms reached for me. I had strayed too far from the center of the well. Dodging the eager reach of one, I moved in range of the assailant behind me. His grip on my neck was just secure enough to drag me from the well but the water loosed his attempts at my throat.
I rolled away in the sand and resumed my battle. I was furious with rage. I fought back towards the filled in center well. Time to get desperate. I dove for the two glass orbs and used them to bludgeon my opponents. They fell easily but their numbers made victory impossible.
My energy was drained, a wild swing with the red orb let loose a sickening cracking noise from the glass. A single bead of the vibrant red fluid dripped out. The assault stopped as every beast spawned stared at the drop in the sand. The shriek they let loose was unbearable, the fury of their siege doubled and they moved towards me in a horrible relentless wave. I fought briefly then bent over clutching the two orbs. The wave fully crashed on me, I buckled against the weight of the sand and their clawing, I was about to collapse completely.
Purple. I smashed the two orbs together. A massive cloud of purple dust exploded filling the whole room. The sand warriors had vanished. A purple powdery haze lingered in the air. I coughed purple, I breathed purple, I had purple all over my skin. I walked to the well; my entire body was covered in the stuff. It had mixed with my wounds, I even bled purple. I certainly wasn't expecting that. My thoughts jumped to the leather journal. I found it near the third well covered in purple dust but still intact. Good, I'm sure that thing is important.
I spent the next few minutes relaxing and bathing in the well. Between the dust on myself and my clothes the water took on a swirling violet hue. I finished the rinse in the third well. The dust had clotted my wounds and blood stopped oozing. That's convenient. The weeping statue sat freshly cleaned on the edge of the well. My arms and head rested on the edge next to him. "Try not to be sad forever." He didn't respond. "Just saying." I shrugged; silence. My gaze shifted towards the journal.
Chapter 4 – Sisters
The entrance to the hallway was still sealed. That journal is the key. Sitting on the edge of the well with my feet rhythmically kicked in the water. I waited for the air to dry my hands, it didn't take long. The journal couldn’t wait any longer. I managed to wipe most of the purple residue off but a bit still held fast to the papers. The thin strip of leather binding the journal untied easily.
**
Entry #1
I've found them! Years of chasing rumors and threads of threads and I've found them! Pray now I don't lose the trail. The sisters have moved to Rauchenwarth, a small hamlet south of Vienna, their evil game no doubt still afoot. I've taken a room at the inn of a neighboring hamlet, Ebergassing; I dare not reside in the same village as the sisters, that would be too close. My hosts are an old married couple, they speak very little, they go about their business with the quiet efficiency lent from years of experience. Their rates are fair for the area and their coffee is quite good. This morning I got up earlier than usual and felt the urge for some rigorous calisthenics. I bathed and headed towards Rauchenwarth. I had never been so close to the sisters before, I must proceed with extreme caution.
I spent the day in Rauchenwarth trying to surreptitiously discover the precise whereabouts of the sisters. I took care to never reveal my true name or identity to the locals who I questioned. I stopped by the local tavern to ask the barman if anything strange had been going on. He told me the strangest thing to happen recently was a nosy traveler asking if anything strange had been going on. His sour attitude was likely due to my tip, or lack thereof. This quest had already cost me quite a deal of money.
Entry #2
After an exhaustive search today I have located the cottage the sisters are staying in. My belief is that they prey only on travelers heading to or from Vienna, never preying on locals. It is brilliant in its simplicity, it would take some time for suspicion to fall on the small town and by then they would have moved again. Tomorrow I shall observe the sister's cottage from a hide near their residence. God willing, I will learn their habits so as best to exploit them.
Entry #3
My God this is worse than I had feared! The cottage remained silent all morning and through the afternoon (though I did doze off for twenty minutes or so at noon). In the evening, with the setting sun I saw it. The silhouette of a woman exited the cellar, turned examining the countryside, and entered the cottage. Moments later two figures exited the cottage and entered the cellar. I have seen the sisters! My hand is shaking now as I write, the terror still lingers in me. I heard a scream of terror emanating from the cellar then abrupt silence! I was frozen in my hide by fear, I dare not move. I stayed there motionless for an hour before I dared to leave. I don't think I'll sleep this night.
**
The entries ended. That's it? I leafed through the rest of the journal, all the pages were blank. I was disappointed. The journal was supposed to be my key, the answer to the riddle, yet it was worthless. I tied it shut.
My clothes were now dry; I scanned the area where the hallway entrance used to be. I sighed with empathy for every rat trapped in a maze somewhere. I know how you feel. I held the figurine of the weeping man. "We'll get out of here." Out of the corner of my eye I saw something strange. The violet hue of the well I had bathed in changed; it was the same luminous blue of the second orb. I knelt next to it.
I went to the remnants of the smashed glass orbs, only a few drops of each fluid had survived the reaction. With my left hand I cradled the last remnants of the red fluid, uncaged by the glass; its vividness was even more stunning. I dipped my finger into the second well. The red fluid bloomed in the clear water. The rushing of sand turned my attention back to the center well, the well bottom descended gracefully back to the bottom. It began to rain.
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