Spheria (13 page)

“Actually sounds…” Min dipped her ball in the soup and popped it into her mouth, “and tastes…” she chewed a little, “pretty good. Kind of like fluffy peanuts.”

“Yeah. The soup is made with peanut butter. Have you tried the fried chicken that Desmond brought?” asked Abina. “I never had it before.”

“Yes,” interjected Tim. “It’s pretty good. But the best I ever had was from this small dive in New Orleans called Willie Mae’s Scotch House. Amazing! I haven’t had it since I was a kid, though. I'd love to go back and get some.”

“It wouldn’t be good,” countered Min, crossing her arms.

“You’ve had it recently?” asked Abina.

“No, but Jorczak’s Law
would kick in.”

“What’s that?” asked Tim.

“Jorczak’s Law states that ‘Nothing is ever as good as you remember it to be. And the more time that passes, the more disappointing something becomes.’”

“I never heard that before,” said Abina. “Why would that be true?”

“If I remember correctly there are three possible reasons. First, the quality may have actually declined. So Willie Mae may have cheapened the ingredients. The second possibility is that you've had fried chicken since then, since you were a kid, that was actually better than Willie Mae’s. So when you try it again, you'll think it’s no longer so good. The last possibility is that your memory of the chicken has been so exaggerated over the years that the real thing could never be that good.”

“That’s pessimistic,” said Tim. “I want to experience that chicken again!”

“Don’t confuse pessimism with reality.”

Abina asked, “Is there anything that can defy Jorczak’s Law?”

“If there were,” answered Min, “then it wouldn’t be a law.”

“Actually, there is something,” added Max as he returned to the table, focusing on the tray of cups.

“Jello shots, Max?” asked Tim.

“No, actually. What I was thinking of is In-N-Out Burger. I don’t get out to the West Coast much, but whenever I'm there, I stop at one. I get a Double Double animal style and it’s always better than I remembered it to be. Even the smell walking into that restaurant is better than memory would serve.”

“I’ve never had it,” they all said in unison.

“You gotta try it someday. Hey, Tim, hand me one of those Jello shots and I’ll tell you a joke.”

“That’s even more of a reason to hide the tray from you.”

Min grabbed one and gave it to him. “Thanks,” he mumbled and slurped it down. He went to place the empty cup on the table but missed, and almost fell over. Abina caught him and propped him back up. Min’s lips pressed tightly together, almost into a frown.

“So,” said Max, as if nothing had happened, “an electron walks into a bar and says ‘a round for everyone, on me.’ The bartender asks, ‘are you sure you want to do that?’ He replies, ‘of course, I’m positive.’”

They all laughed at this, but Min laughed a little bit louder than the others.

“Max, c’mon,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the exit. “I think you need a little fresh air.”

Chapter 14 - Extra Sense

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”- Ephesians 2:8

The blow never came.

Le∙ma looked up at the raised tusks of the Zalisk. But instead of pummeling her, it took a couple of steps backward and lowered its head to the ground. It was standing completely still, looking over and past her.

Then she heard a familiar voice. “Turn around, move forward twenty lengths, and forget we are here.” It was Sa∙ma.

The Zalisk, as if in complete obedience, turned around slowly. It shook in place, then lumbered through the brush into the distance.

Sa∙ma lent a leg to Le∙ma to help her up and out of the ditch. She climbed up on wobbly legs, shaken by her near-death experience. She could only muster one word: “How?”

Then she noticed something different about Sa∙ma. He had a new sensor on his core. It was indigo, like most other sensors, but instead of having an eye, ear, or mouth, it had three triangles pointing in different directions.

“You're lucky to be alive,” he said, not answering her question.

“Did you save me?” she asked, still puzzled with why either of them was still alive. A Zalisk doesn’t just turn around and walk away like that.

“I did. Something extraordinary happened to me.” Sa∙ma quickly shifted his weight between legs, almost hopping. “This new sensor I have is an artifact, a gift from the gods, that gives me greater insight into the world around us. It’s going to improve our ability to be Lumenaries and will be passed from me to you someday. I'm still learning what it can do, but so far it's quite impressive.”

Gift from the gods? Being alive is a gift from the gods.

“After leaving you at the camp,” he said, “I went in search of something I saw. As unbelievable as this sounds, I actually found the Fertile Field.”

“The legendary field of endless energy?” asked Le∙ma.

“The same. The reason I never saw it before turned out to be that it isn’t always there. It only appears for a brief time to receive the splendor of a deity. I wandered out of the woods and ran into a god! Pi∙ro, to be precise. Never before have I, or any Polyan for generations, had such an honor.”

Le∙ma sat down.
Pi∙ro.
This was turning out to be a truly amazing day. “Please tell me while I get my legs back.”

“Yes, so this is what happened…”

#

Sa∙ma bowed before the god. He’d never dreamt of such an encounter happening in his lifetime.

“Stand!” ordered the god.

He did so.

“I am Pi∙ro. What dares to bring you to my sanctuary?”

“Lord Pi∙ro. I came in search of the Fertile Field, which I believed this circle of violet crystals to be. But I didn’t expect to encounter one such as yourself here.”

“You have indeed found the Fertile Field, but it is only here when I deem it to be.” Pi∙ro straightened his legs so that his body rose even higher, then relaxed and settled low to the ground. “I like how the violet colors complement my glowing red core. So tell me, Sa∙ma, why should I not extinguish your life?”

“I can’t suggest the actions of a god. But I've done nothing wrong, unless discovering your resting place here in our world is an offense.”

“It is not. But there is a price to pay, regardless. You now have to pass my test. If you can answer a riddle for me, I will reward you with a valuable prize. If you fail, I will take your life as compensation for your incompetence.”

This wasn't what Sa∙ma expected from an encounter with a god. Pi∙ro seemed completely unreasonable and was threatening him with death for stumbling upon him. But gods could do whatever they pleased, he presumed.

“I bow to your reverence,” he said. “Please give me your riddle.”

“Here it is. Good luck.”

Pi∙ro lay on the ground before Sa∙ma so that their eye sensors were at the same level. Then, staring at him, Pi∙ro presented the puzzle:

I can be any color,

But I don’t get to choose.

I command all others,

In response to my hue.

Sa∙ma repeated the riddle to himself. It was so simple; the answer couldn’t be what he believed it was. He tried to think of other things to fit the puzzle, but he couldn’t come up with a one.

“Answer!” commanded Pi∙ro.

“The Source,” said Sa∙ma, expecting this to be a trick and his life about to end.

“You are correct!” boomed the god.

Sa∙ma was shocked. “I am?”

“Indeed, and for your reward, I present to you this artifact. Attach this to your vacant sensor port. This will give you the power to peer just beneath the world we are in, to sense things a little beyond, and to manipulate things that should not be controllable. Use it wisely, as you have been instructed by me.”

With that, the ground shook with a boom, and the god and the Fertile Field vanished without a trace.

In the center of the clearing where Pi∙ro had been, lay a short three-sided rod of indigo material. Each side, on the end, contained a protruding tetrahedron. Sa∙ma picked it up and examined it, then attached it to his core.

Immediately, he could see once more the god and the Fertile Field, but this time as faint glowing outlines. Were these shadows of where they’d been or were they invisible to all but him?

“Be gone now,” said the god. “Your apprentice needs you. Quickly!”

And he truly vanished for good, although the Fertile Field remained a glowing outline.

#

“Heeding his words, I sped to you Le∙ma without hesitation. Through the vegetation, I could see your outline, fleeing. I rushed forward and came upon you lying in a ditch, the Zalisk about to crush you. I had no time for fear, and I just thought about it stopping, and it did. Then, as you heard, I commanded it to leave, and it obeyed.”

Le∙ma looked again at the artifact on his core. No words would come to her. And Sa∙ma stood there speechless as well, just now being able to consider the implications of his encounter. He began to shiver.

Chapter 15 - Starlight Walk

“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” - W. Clement Stone

They exited the Academic Entrance into the cool night air and cut through the parking lot. It was far from full, but still contained a decent number of cars, probably those of nursing staff and physicians working late rounds. Max staggered and leaned on the trunk of a car. He stood there for a moment inhaling the damp darkness.

“This was a good idea,” he said. “I feel a little less dizzy. I just wish these cars would stop driving around.”

“Um, they’re parked,” said Min.

“Yeah, I suppose so. Actually, they look more like boats than cars.”

“Just take your time. We’re in no rush. Let’s just walk down the hill and check out the pond.”

“So, a nature walk?”

“You could say that.”

Max pushed off and weaved between the rows of parked cars. Most of them were pretty nice with a disproportionate number of BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexuses. Obviously, the majority of the students had long gone home. Campus night life was pretty much nonexistent at the Health Center. Unless your definition of a good time was hanging out in the library.

Max lost his balance again and leaned his butt against a black Mercedes.

“You shouldn’t be sitting on that,” said Min, glancing up and down the road for security vehicles.

“What? This?” He looked through the driver’s door at the fine tan leather and wood grain finish inside. He straightened his legs and shook the car; nothing happened, no alarm. He grabbed the driver’s door handle and pulled. The door opened. Before Min could react, Max sat in the car and closed the door.

“Shit!” she said. She grabbed the handle, but he somehow had the wherewithal to lock the door. She ran around to the other side and tried the passenger door. It opened.

“What the hell, Max?”

“Get in,” he said.

“No fucking way.”

“Just do it.”

“You’re gonna get us both arrested. Get out.”

“Okay… okay.”

He unlocked the door and opened it, swinging his legs out. Then, before standing up, he reached his hand into the coin holder and pulled out a handful of quarters. As he stood, he dumped them into his pocket, dropping several. They rolled down the parking lot, cutting into the silence with clanging noises.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked as she closed the passenger door.

“Nothing is wrong with me. I'm actually super fine. I feel happy, and I just got tomorrow’s lunch money.”

“You just broke into a car and stole money.”

“Hey, these doctors make a fortune. I don’t. Let’s just consider it a private donation to the Spheria project.”

“No Max, it’s not a donation unless they give it willingly. That’s just wrong.”

He ignored her. “I read once that LoJack did a study and found that 21 percent of drivers don’t lock their cars. This might prove that result.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Min, chill. When I agreed to give Graham an exclusive to the Qube technology, I did so because I believed in this project more than anything.” Max began gesturing wildly with his hands, making his balance precarious. “I wanted to be a part of history – to be a participant in the long line of scientists contributing to the collective knowledge of the human race. We have physics down. We’ve got a handle on chemistry. We even know a good deal about the subatomic particle landscape. What’s left? The mind. The mind is what we don’t understand. Well, that and gravity. I’m gonna tackle gravity next.”