[Befriend, Innocent]
I make it to the center of the maze without getting lost. So much has been going on I feel like it’s been months since the last time I meditated, even though it’s only been a couple of days. I’m hoping Aya is at the center of the maze, I have some questions for her.
She’s here so I settle down to begin as quietly as possible. After about an hour she starts to get up. I hopped up to join her.
“Aya do you have time for a cup of tea or a walk? I'd like to ask you some questions about a world I encountered inside the tower.”
“Sure I’d like to ask you about Nyx, she’s a very interesting being.”
“Tea or walk”
“Walk, it’s always nice after meditating, let's go to the overlook. It has such a nice view of the Welsh farmland.”
I told Aya all about the deserted adobe city and the film or hologram-like visions I encountered there. One of whom was my grandfather.
“So when I called his name he turned toward me as if to speak, I could clearly see that it was my granddad. I tried to figure out a way to have time to speak with him, but the most amount of time was just two minutes. If someone was with me playing the game do you think that he might be able to talk back?”
“My first guess would be a no, my reasoning being you are saying these people are running on a loop. But that being said, you had no effect at all on the two young men sitting close to the machine. Even though you talked to them and tried to touch them. But you say they disappeared before you actually could touch them. The things that you actually did touch remained in your version of the city. It’s too bad you didn’t try to touch any of the people. My second guess is that if you can touch the person you might well bring them into your version of the city and theoretically they should remain there just like the kabobs did.”
“I was trying to think of ways to contact granddad, how I could have missed such a simple idea of just trying to make contact. I could kick myself.”
“Jaq hindsight is very easy, you just laid out all the facts, I have no pressure to try and find an exit. No worry about the three friends that were separated from you. No worry about the relative you feel closest to in the world. Plus just the day before you were put through the ringer when Groucho was caught by a monster. I find it amazing that you went through all of this, not to mention your trip to Literal Hell and dealing with ADHD and still came away with two clues to the Colonel. I think you should be proud.”
“Thanks Aya, that’s very kind. I wouldn’t take it so hard if I knew how to get back there to try to touch him. But when I stepped into the portal, I expected to come back here to the mansion. That’s what happened the other two times I was in the tower, I was portaled home. Nyx seems to be able to locate me no matter where I am, but I was hidden from her while I was there.”
“Which brings me to Nyx. You met her in Literal Hell as opposed to a Human Hell based on a christian theocracy.”
“Yeah once I hit negative fifty points I was instantly transported to a black featureless void. That really would be hell for me if I had to remain there floating like that for eternity. I think I was actually relieved when Nyx showed up.”
“She never hurt you?”
“Psychologically when she said Frida would wind up with Farthing, out of survivors' guilt.”
Aya laughed. “That will never happen, I guarantee it. She can’t stand Farthing, none of us can, he’s just so pompous. But that aside she never physically hurt you”
“My core muscles ached for days after laughing so hard, but that was really a side effect I guess, also a sign to me I should do some regular core work. Frida says Nyx likes me, but she also constantly makes fun of my breasts.”
“People do like to tease, the people they like, maybe Frida’s picking up a vibe or maybe she’s just a little jealous that Nyx gets to play with you.”
“Well she has nothing to be jealous about, I’m strictly team Frida.”
“Good, I don’t know what type of future you could have with a demon from Literal Hell.”
“Nyx claims my ADHD would be cured if I stayed in literal hell, but I wouldn't do that even to cure ADHD, I want to be out here with my friends. Well I have to go see Maz about a cat.”
“If you want I’ll be happy to feed her, clean out her box.”
“She hasn’t actually used the box, I think she’s going outside, so unless that behavior changes, it won’t need to be cleaned. If you don’t mind that would be great, I didn’t really want to uproot her, she just moved in yesterday. I thought Frida would take care of her, but now she insists on going. Thanks Aya and thanks for talking things out with me, I really appreciate it.”
***
I had time to kill before I was due to meet Frida and Nyx for my minute of torture. So I thought I’d walk down and see Maz. Talk about Groucho reentering the tower tonight.
So I headed to the barn, but as I passed the greenhouse, I saw both Harry and Maz inside. Harry was sitting at a machine I assumed was a pottery wheel.
“Hey Jaq, did you need something? We’re still on for tonight aren’t we?”
“Yeah, Harry, I was just coming to talk to Maz about it.”
“Don’t worry, Jaq, Groucho already gave me a long impassioned speech, about free will and agency. I know you tried to discourage him, but he’s determined and really who am I to stop him. I didn’t take him in as a slave or a pet. Here in the outside world, getting captured by the government or a media empire would be a far worse fate than serious injury or death in the tower, where he can go where he wants, who he wants to go with.”
“I know Groucho is a person, but probably because of his size it’s hard not to think of him as a kid, even when he is relentlessly sexually harassing me. I do feel sorry for him being cooped up in the barn, but I also see the necessity of it. A lab would be the last place I’d want to wind up in. Harry, how do you like your new studio, Maz you really got it done fast. I think it looks fantastic.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“It’s going to take me a little while to get used to the new equipment, and to relearn what I’ve forgotten about being a potter, after five hundred years in heaven.”
“It’s probably like a bike, Harry, once you get back on it, your body just remembers.”
“I hope you’re right Jaq, at any rate I need to practice with the new equipment before I can get skilled using it. But I want to start producing the next time we’re back because I want to start paying Maz back.”
“I keep telling him Jaq, he’s going to make a fortune. Just enjoy being a potter again after having to drive annoying people around for hundreds of years.”
***
“Okay Frida, you tie her hands to the bed posts, I’ll tie her feet”
“Got it Nyx, should we gag her, so the whole mansion doesn’t hear her laughing.”
“Frida, what are you saying, I thought you were on my side.”
“I am Jaq, I am. After I tickle you with the two ostrich feathers for a minute, Nyx agrees to leave us alone and you tied up just for me. I think you’ll like what I have planned. We’re heading into the tower again tonight, who knows how long before we can do this again. What do you think, Nyx, gag or no?”
“Personally, I dislike the gag, I like to hear the screams of delight, from my torture victims. Your mileage may vary.”
“We can skip the gag then but where’s Nyxi? I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.”
“She must be out exploring, I haven’t seen her since before Nyx got here. Close the door, Nyx I’m naked on the bed, anybody could walk by.”
“Babe, that's part of the fun.”
“Frida..”
“I’ve got it Jaq.”
Frida closed the door, stood at the foot of the bed and slowly started tickling the soles of my feet, up, down, just the toes, up, down. I was laughing hysterically before the minute was up.
“Frida you can keep the feathers, I have an ostrich farm back in literal hell.”
***
I stored the knapsack in the empty room closest to the portal, Harry, Draco and Groucho would be waiting, if the portal opens tonight we would go back in. After dinner Frida and I got dressed in sturdy walking clothes. I had on my cowboy boots, Frida, a pair of running shoes. The two of us should go to town and get some decent hiking boots.
We lay fully dressed on top of the covers, Nyxi nestled between us. It must have been around one am when I heard the song. I was tempted to try sneaking away, to avoid putting Frida in any danger. Aside from fearing how mad she’d be upon my return, it’d also make a liar out of me and a hypocrite if I didn’t afford her the agency she deserved.
I gently shook her arm.
“Frida, I can hear the song, I have to go. You don’t have to come unless you really want to.”
“I’m coming, Jaq, we’ve been over this, I really want to come. If you are walking into danger I want to be walking beside you. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, loud and clear, I just want to give you the choice to come or not. I hope we land somewhere nice, but even if it’s literal hell, it’ll still be nice with you there Frida.”
Frida slowly quietly got up leaving a sleeping Nyxi alone in the bed. Then we hurried down the worn stone steps of our tower to find the ‘boys’ dozing in their chairs.
“Guy’s it’s time to go, the song is playing and the portal is open.”
“Draco, wake up big guy, let's go, it’s my turn to save you this trip.”
We hurried out into the hallway, Frida and I hand in hand stepped through the portal.
We stood on the edge of the chasm, waiting for Harry Draco and Groucho to join us, Nyxi landed next to Groucho as he came through.
“Grab her Groucho, I don’t want her to come back in here.”
Groucho was by far the most agile of any of us, by the time he had Nyxi, the portal had closed. Nyxi was coming along whether I liked it or not.
“I’ll protect her Jaq, don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried, Groucho, I know you will.”
I told Frida the chasm was just an illusion, a perfect one, then we walked the short distance to the low stone wall. I pushed the stones in the sequence that Draco had taught me and the golden portal opened. I grabbed Frida’s hand and we stepped through to the landing in the tower where I had last eaten the peas. The boys arrived and we all headed up to the next landing.
I could already smell the horrid peas, I didn’t even sit down. I scooped some peas onto the spoon, held my nose and swallowed. I heard the door click.
“Okay everyone. Here we go.”
I grabbed Frida by the hand. Please don’t be dangerous for Frida, Please Please. That was the problem being agnostic, you couldn’t make those little pointless prayers. Because either no one was listening or worse they were listening and just didn’t care or were listening and cared but wanted to see you fail, to go up into flames. So the best I can do is cross my fingers and hope that Frida will be all right, that all of my friends will be all right. Then we stepped through the portal.
We were standing in a completely white room, even the floor is white, light streaming in from all sides including the floor. Oh no, why, we’re back in heaven.
