Brave Story (19 page)

“W-wait! Hold on and I’ll tell you! Stop flapping!”

“Oh, right,” the bird muttered and folded its wings up again. Wataru took a deep breath, and somehow managed to regain his composure. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. “I came through a gate high up in the sky and fell down here,” he said. “That’s really all I know.”

Slowly the bird turned its large eyes up to the blue sky. “I see,” it said at last. “So the Porta Nectere is open…”

“The Porta…Nectere?”

The creature nodded. “Aye. ’Tis the doorway between the Over Here and the Over There—a huge gate, so high its top is hidden in the clouds. None in my tribe has ever seen the top, and because no one in either the Over Here or the Over There has wings stronger than the karulah, that means no one has seen it.” The bird thrust out its breast as it spoke. Its long feathers fluttered in the wind. “The Porta Nectere opens only for ninety days every ten years, as such things are counted Over There. I suppose this means that the ninety days have started. I had completely forgotten about it.”

Wataru could only gape.

“And so you came through the doorway, stumbling from the Over There into the Over Here, and fell smack down into a pack of gimblewolves,” the creature concluded thoughtfully. “I see, I see.”

What the creature referred to as the “Over Here” must be where he was now, Wataru figured, while the “Over There” was where Wataru normally lived, the real world. But something didn’t fit. The gate that Wataru had come through was certainly impressively large, but nothing like what the bird had just described. Wataru wondered out loud about this, and the bird haughtily replied, “Well, of course. The true scale of the Porta Nectere is visible only from this side.”

“I see,” Wataru lied. At least his heart wasn’t racing quite so furiously anymore. He plopped down on the rock and took a closer look at his sur-roundings. He could see clearly in all directions, which wasn’t saying much. No matter which way he turned, all he could see was desert. Here and there, vague lines interrupted the sand dunes—likely other rocky outcroppings like the one where they sat. One horizon was a dim yellow line that shimmered like a mirage.
A sandstorm, maybe?

“Well, you look a bit flustered,” the scarlet bird said, ruffling its wings in what was apparently a laugh, “but that’s to be expected, I suppose. You didn’t have any idea all of this was here, did you? First time I’ve ever picked up a stray. I have heard of other young man-children mistakenly falling through the door, though, so take comfort! You’re not the first. Aye, you may be a bit on the dull side, but at least you’re in good company.”

Wataru decided to take that as a compliment. The creature had saved his life, after all, and he did seem to be a generally decent person—or rather, bird.

“So, um…where
is
this place?” Wataru asked. “Doesn’t Over Here have a name?”

“Vision,” the scarlet bird replied.

“Vision?”

Wataru remembered a spell in
Saga II
called “Vision Strike.” It was a spell usable only by powerful wizards that confused their enemies with magical visions that led them to attack each other.

A vision. An illusion.

“So this whole place is just make-believe?”

“I suppose it must seem that way to a man-child.”

“So right now I’m inside a daydream?” Wataru spread out his hands. The sand carried in the wind stung his eyes. “I can feel the wind on my face, the heat of the sun on my neck, and the dust blowing all the way into my throat. Can this all be just an illusion?”

“It can to you, man-child, lost child.”

Wataru stood up on the rocky outcropping. All around him were rough stones, and his footing was unsure. “All of this desert that I can see from here? Every bit of it’s a fantasy? None of it’s real?”

“Well, I’ve never been to this ‘real’ place you speak of, so how could I know the difference?” The scarlet bird’s head twitched. “You’re quite sure that reality and fantasy are opposites?”

“As far as I know.”

“Well then if Over There is
real
, that would make Over Here
unreal
. A fantasy, as you say. Regardless, man-child, you must return to Over There immediately, and so the question is rather academic.”

“I have to go back?”

“Strays must not be left to wander. ’Tis the law.”

“But I followed a friend in here. I couldn’t leave him behind.”

“From what I’ve heard of your story, it sounds like this friend of yours isn’t lost like you. If he’s able to freely enter and leave the Porta Nectere, then he must be a Traveler, authorized by the Gatekeeper. You’ve no need to worry on his account.”

“But…” Wataru began as the scarlet bird spread its wings and took to the air, once again trying to grab him by the back of his shirt. “Wait! I don’t want to go back yet!”

Wataru ducked down and ran from the bird’s clutching claws. He jumped back to the edge of the outcropping, but his left foot landed poorly on the rough surface and he felt a sudden pain stab through his ankle.

“Ouch!”

Losing his balance, he tumbled down sideways off the edge. For a moment, a blue slice of sky flashed before his eyes, then he stopped falling abruptly and fell flat on his back on another slab of rock. Apparently, another ledge below the top of the outcropping had caught him before he fell all the way down.

Well, that was lucky, at least.

Wataru placed his hand on the lip of the ledge and hauled himself up. A shadow swooped over his head. The scarlet bird was curving about for another pass.

If I don’t get out of here quick I’ll be back in its claws again.

He would have to move deeper under the ledge. Wataru backed up, feeling his way with his hands while keeping an eye on the skies above him. His right hand bumped into something warm and furry.

That doesn’t feel like a rock…

Slowly turning to look, he found himself face-to-face with another screwwolf. Wataru ran screaming all the way to the edge of the rocky ledge. The scarlet bird’s shadow approached almost immediately.

So this is what they mean when they say, “Caught between a rock and a hard place.”

Wataru looked back fearfully, but the screw-wolf hadn’t charged. Wataru shouted at it again, and it didn’t move an inch. He looked closer and only then did he realize that he was looking at a screw-wolf’s head—the body was nowhere to be seen.

It’s dead?

Wataru looked around and saw more heads. Bits and pieces of skulls were caught in between the rocks here, and there, and over there. He looked down and saw bone fragments and fossilized flesh stuck to his shirt and his pants.

“What on earth?”

Wataru brushed the detritus off his arms and legs. Too late, he remembered his pursuer and, when he next looked up, claws caught at his neck, and his legs were dangling in mid-air.

“And now, it is time for you to go home,” the bird scolded, sounding for all the world like a strict teacher. “Laws are to be obeyed. I’m sure they taught you that where you’re from.”

Wataru didn’t struggle. He was more intent on getting the rest of the wolf bits off his clothing. “What is this mess?”

“Gimblewolf husks. You found a bone-pile.”

“Why would someone make a collection of
that
?”

“We would. Gimblewolves are good eating, for the most part, but the heads are quite inedible,” came the answer from above. “They’re also a bit violent, as you know. When we catch one, we bang their heads on the rocks to kill them. It’s an easy way to do it, and it gets rid of the inedible bits at the same time. Two birds with one stone, you might say.”

“You eat those wolf things?”

“We do indeed. That’s why we’ve made this desert our territory,” the scarlet bird explained as it steadily beat its wings, taking them higher and higher. Wataru felt drained, as though his batteries had run down, and so he hung limply, allowing himself be carried along.

After they had flown for a while they entered the thick clouds. Soft, fluffy billowing puffs brushed against Wataru’s legs and face. They had the light scent of peppermint.
Fragrant clouds?
Come to think of it, Wataru had never been in a cloud in the real world, either. Maybe they smelled like something too.

“Well, here we are,” his escort said loudly, with an especially powerful flap of his wings. Wataru shot up through the clouds, and then was released, coming to a gentle landing on his rump atop a cloudbank.

Before his eyes stood a colossal silver wall. Had the bird not explained it before, he wouldn’t have realized that it was the gate. It was huge, gargantuan. He felt like an ant looking up at the entranceway to a grand hotel.

“The Porta Nectere,” announced the scarlet bird as he came in for a soft landing. “That streak of particularly bright white light running down the center is a sign that the gates are open. When they’re closed, you can’t see that light at all.”

The giant gate’s shape seemed to be similar to the one Wataru had come through on his way in. He didn’t see any doorknobs or handles.

“The doors will open when you approach them.”

Wataru hesitated and looked up at the scarlet bird. Its eyes shone bright with dazzling reflected light.

“Do I really have to go back?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Can I come back sometime? I really want to.”

“You aren’t coming back,” the scarlet bird said harshly. “Only Travelers to whom the Gatekeeper has given permission may visit. You are a child of Over There, a man-child.”

“Well, what do I have to do to become a Traveler?”

“I couldn’t say.”

“Who could say? The Gatekeeper?”

“Man-child, in my world, those who ask too many questions find themselves hurled off clouds.”

Wataru’s shoulders slumped. He wanted to cry.

Its eyes shining, the scarlet bird spoke again, this time in a gentler tone. “Do not be sad. After you return to Over There you will forget about this place before you see one sunrise and one sunset. You aren’t allowed to take anything from Over Here to Over There, not even memories.”

Wataru walked slowly toward the door, his head hanging. Just as the bird had said, the gates began to silently open as he approached. It was as if the gate-doors themselves were emitting light. So dazzlingly bright it was that Wataru couldn’t lift his eyes. He moved quicker now, feeling drawn to the widening crack between the two doors.

“Man-child, I wish you a good life.” The bird’s voice sounded very small, as if it were coming from far behind him. “My name is Gigah of the karulah. Perhaps we will meet again, in the dark of the Over There, in your dreams.”

Wataru’s eyes were still open, yet he couldn’t see a thing.
Or maybe I’m seeing the light…pure radiance.
He didn’t even know for sure if he was walking forward or backward. It felt more like he was softly floating. His consciousness faded as the light enveloped him.

Vision…the Porta Nectere…
just what are you doing here…why did you come here
…hot desert wind and Gigah’s scarlet feathers…blue sky and green fields…

“Wataru! Wataru!”

Who is that calling me? Who’s slapping me…my face…stop…stop!

Where am I?

Wataru opened his eyes and saw his uncle standing over him.

Chapter 8
The Realities of Life

“ Wataru!
You’re awake!”

“Uncle Lou…” Wataru whispered.

“Thank heavens!” his uncle said, looking as though he might cry at any moment. “Are you hurt? Are you in pain? I didn’t know what to do…”

“I’m…I’m fine, really.”

Wataru tried to sit up, but a hand reached out and held his shoulder down. “Best not to get up too quickly. Are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere?”

It was Mr. Daimatsu. He was smiling.

“Mr. Daimatsu!”
What’s he doing here?
Wataru felt lightheaded, and his voice sounded stuffy and far away in his own head. He tried blinking several times.

He found himself in an unfamiliar room. The ceiling light in the middle of the room was square, with a gold frame. It looked expensive.

“Welcome to my home,” Mr. Daimatsu said. “To the guestroom, to be exact. I hope the bed’s not too hard.”

Uncle Lou was standing next to him, looking very distraught. “I found you lying on the ground in that building. Do you remember? I left you in there to take a phone call, and when I came back in, there you were, at the bottom of the stairs…” His uncle began to sniffle.

Mr. Daimatsu smiled and clapped his uncle on the shoulder. “Your uncle was so worried about you I feared he might faint on me too. He dragged you outside the tarps and was about to take you to the hospital when I happened along,” he said over the sound of Uncle Lou’s sniffling beside him. “I brought you both here.”

“I didn’t know what to do,” Satoru said, wiping his nose, “but Mr. Daimatsu noticed you didn’t look particularly pale and you seemed to be breathing normally. You appeared to have just fallen asleep. I’m afraid I was on the phone quite a long time, you see…anyway, it was his idea to bring you back here and give you a chance to wake up on your own before going to the hospital.”