Zollocco: A Novel of Another Universe (29 page)

The stunted and deformed fruit trees were now so close to us we could reach out and touch them. No matter how intimidating the strange limping locomotion of these trees was, I wasn't afraid. I trusted Zollocco.

Abruptly Raiboothnar shrieked.

"Here We go! Now she'll see what she's really like!" says Our Haetrist, Zollocco.

Our human feels a bit uneasy. Most of the rest of Us feel gleeful that Raiboothnar is finally getting what she deserves.

"This is better than when we invaded the bathrooms," say the snakes, slithering closer for a better look.

A strange, low rumble accompanied a gray, lightless bolt which streaked the air above Raiboothnar and the ground beneath her. The gray bolt outlined Raiboothnar like lead outlines shimmering stained glass. To my horror, I realized my body was utterly stiff. There was no part of myself I could move. The birds, leaves, insects, everything within my static sightlines seemed to be suffering from the same stone-like immobility. Oddly, the rustle of leaves, buzz of insects, chirping of birds-- all of the sounds of the Forest-took on weird bass tones, as though they had been mechanically slowed down. The gray bolt, widening and darkening, jaggedly sliced the air above and the ground below Raiboothnar. A foot wide, a yard wide, three yards wide, four, the gray bolt thickened and became black. The orchard, the Forest, seemed to be pushed aside in each direction by the widening bolt of darkness, as though Reality itself were being split asunder. A jagged black wedge, a dark corridor with walls so black they glistened, had opened to admit Raiboothnar.

Hovering within the lustrous black corridor which had no floor and no ceiling, Raiboothnar turned to examine the black wall to the left of her. Her reflection glimmered in the smooth black wall. Yet the reflection was not a true reflection of her; it was peculiarly distorted. Raiboothnar touched the reflected hand of her image causing a jangled echo of hoof beats to pound the air. Gray, curling lines crisscrossed Raiboothnar, making her look like a jigsaw puzzle. These thin lines became quite black, as black as the dark of the corridor. Raiboothnar laughed a long maniacal laugh that rang out like a broken bell, again and again, each time more guttural in clamor. Then like a jigsaw puzzle that is suddenly struck, she fell into a myriad of pieces. The pieces shriveled, turned black, and floated like ashes down the never-ending reaches of the black corridor. Strangely, her image remained reflected in the glistening wall. The image appeared to look around, and then, suddenly, it sprang from the wall out of the corridor and onto the turf of the orchard. The black wedge that was the corridor silently, swiftly, closed, leaving no trace it had ever been there, except in the transformed figure of Raiboothnar.

The thrill of this transformation is almost too exciting for Our Haetrist Zollocco to bear. The little forsythia Kiappia sent Us when Our herd of them was decimated, are dancing in joy. Our massive Oak has a detached sense of gratification, as though this is his personal experiment. Raiboothnar looks the stubborn, mean, crafty, and surefooted creature she is. We hope she stays that way. She can go live amidst the Forest Munzfarheekham with the other transformed creatures. Munzfarheekam likes them. Munzfarheekam has all kinds of these transformed beasts. Some of them are quietly beautiful, like that translucent partridge, and the dancing rose. The moss pipe up to say that their favorite transformed creature living amidst Munzfarheekam is the fearfully ugly toad that oozes wonderful scents of frolicblossoms, mirnie, sweet-beets, and smoked spice-bark as different moods seize him. We all agree that the toad is pretty nifty. We haven't had this much fun in a long time.

With the disappearance of the endless corridor, I recovered from the stone-like immobility that had afflicted me. I stared at Raiboothnar. What I saw caused me to scale up that tree I was hiding behind as fast as I could. She was a monster. Raiboothnar had her own chest, arms, and head, but the lower part of her body had turned into the legs and body of a donkey. Raiboothnar's wig lay on the ground before her; her scalp had patches of thin gray hair and two large donkey ears. Sparse gray hair flopped on her head. She brayed. She reared and stamped on the wig. She brayed again and ran off in the direction of her husband, the Toelakhan, and the priest, the orchard opening up its confining circle to allow her to pass. Shocked I clung to the tree.

Our human, you must come out of that tree and discover the image of yourself. Our human is afraid. She thinks she might transform into a monster like Raiboothnar. We remind her that no matter what she sees of herself, she can change it.

Cautiously I climbed out of the tree. I walked deeper into the orchard. The dwarfed fruit trees which had surrounded Raiboothnar and me had returned to their places. Quietly I walked, fearing what Raiboothnar had become, fearing what I might become. But Zollocco was doing his best to charm me; birds were singing prettily; leaves rustled cheerfully; odors of mulch, fruit, and bark rose enticingly in the air. My spirits soared. Soon I could barely tell what was path and what was orchard floor. Eventually there was no trail to follow. Ahead of me was a particularly stumpy and twisted tree. Hanging from a branch of it, at eye level, was a single, shining, silver pear.

I looked about me and gave voice to my concerns, "Zollocco, I do want to see this metaphor of myself, but surely there is another way. Why must I take a narcotic?"

Ah! You are right Our human, to be put off at the idea of polluting your flesh with a toxin. But the fruit you see there has reality not in the way of Zollocco or of Imenkapur, but of Artoin. It is no poison. It is healthful. It is of a different reality than the physical and therefore has no physical effect though it will nourish your soul. Our human smiles. She understands and reaches for the fruit and tastes it.

I took the lovely silver pear and bit it.

"Look at that! Look at that!" yells Our haetrist

Zollocco.
"How beautiful," sighs Our moss.
"Are those forsythia flowers falling?" ask the baby forsythia.
"This is almost as good as if she turned into a snake,"
say the serpents.
We are all well pleased. Our human has put on a very
good show for Us.

I don't know how long I was in the trance, probably about ten or fifteen minutes I guessed. When I came out of the trance the pear was no where to be seen. I suspected there never had really been a pear at all---yes, that was right, Zollocco had said it didn't exist in this reality to which I had returned. But then I heard a donkey braying and men shouting. I hurriedly picked my way through the underbrush back towards the priest, the Toelakhan, and Raiboothnar.

When I got to the edge of the orchard I saw the priest was busily climbing a tree and making rapid progress regardless of the fact that he was somewhat encumbered by his music case and the transporter. Raiboothnar was running around in circles chasing the Toelakhan this way and that. Only her husband remained motionless in the middle of the scene his mouth hanging open. Raiboothnar was nipping anyone she came close to and braying with nasty mirth. Suddenly her husband came out of his shock and ran towards Raiboothnar.

He grabbed a hold of the mane that was now growing down her back, and screamed, "Wife, you are a magnificent creature."

He leaped onto her donkey back. That man is enamored of an Ass, I and the Forest thought together.

Raiboothnar let out a surprised bray, and, bucking, tried to throw him off. Her husband triumphantly waved his arm and expertly kept his seat.

"Wife, look, there is the priestess, go get her!"

Raiboothnar grinned. She seemed to have more and much larger teeth than she ever did before. She galloped towards me. I ran up a tree. Raiboothnar began pummeling the slender tree I was in with her hooves. The tree I was in uprooted itself and loped away from her. Raiboothnar galloped around the tree and pummeled it some more with her hooves. The tree was not as quick on its roots as Raiboothnar was quick on her hooves and was unbalanced by my weight. Three camouflage bees came to our rescue. Buzzing and changing color with fury the bees stung and stung Raiboothnar until she trotted away from us. Raiboothnar's husband tried to swat the bees away, and so the bees stung him too. Raiboothnar and her rider spouse stood and watched the tree and me, each of them shaking their fists at me. The bees stung them viciously, forcing Raiboothnar and husband to run off into the woods. The three camouflage bees followed the braying Raiboothnar and the cursing husband.

The Toelakhan, no longer chased by the transformed Raiboothnar, had fallen to their knees in fright and exhaustion. The priest jumped out of the tree. He was quickly setting the switches of the transporter as he walked up to the Toelakhan. The Toelakhan realized this was their time and means to escape. They rushed the priest.

"Careful! Don't be so rough, you'll damage it, and then how will you get out of here? I have set the transporter for you. Each man lay his hand on the wand and concentrate on the Know-All. Press that button. Yes."

The Toelakhan faded from sight. The ornately bejeweled transported lay on the Forest's floor.
Climbing out of the tree I was in, now that it had sunk its roots firmly back into the ground, I said, "I thought this transporter could transport itself?"
"It can, but I set it so that it wouldn't. Thou dost not wish to visit the Know-all again, dost thou?"
"No."
The priest laughed. I laughed. It was very nervous laughter.
"I don't think the Toelakhan will bother thee ever again," the priest commented.
"The idea of Raiboothnar in these woods makes me very uneasy," I said, looking around at the trees.
"I don't think she will come back. I have heard that all such
transformed monsters flee to the Forest Munzfarheekam. I do believe the camouflage bees shall guide her there."
I answered, "Let us hope so!"
The priest looked up at the sky, "Soon it will be sunset; I understand thou dost have an unusually close affinity with this Forest. We are needed elsewhere, but if thou dost wish it, we may spend the night amidst Zollocco, and leave tomorrow. That is, if Zollocco has accommodations for humans.
"Yes, I do not wish to leave Zollocco so soon, and yes there is a place where thou mayest stay. But tell me, what is this destination whereof thou dost speak?"
"The Realm of Circle."
I had intended to stay at least a week amid Zollocco, but this answer made me change my mind. I was full of curiosity, but was too amazed to speak. I led the priest to the mirnie bushes where we collected some berries. Then we made our way towards the pond to collect some kelp. On the way there, the priest spotted a spice-bark tree, and collected some spice-bark for us. I saw a snake coiled and watching us, its tongue darting in and out of its fanged mouth. I froze, stealthily pulled the knife out of my basket, and lopped off the snake's head.

S
he's a little out of practice but Our snake courteously allowed for that and gave her an extra moment to manage to kill him. His strike would have been lethal to her of course, but he is an old snake and his fangs hurt him. It would have been quite painful for him to bite her. One of his fangs is loose and might have come out in her flesh. It is so nice to feed her of Ourself again.

The priest was shocked. "Thou didst kill a snake! It is forbidden to kill a Forest creature!"

"How else shall we eat tonight priest? Besides, I am sorely out of practice. That snake could have killed me with ease had he wanted to. Zollocco objects not to my killing for food. It is slaughter for entertainment, slaughter of mothers with infants, slaughter of the young, and excess slaughter that He forbids."

"Methinks the tales I have heard of thee have some truth to them," remarked the priest.
We had found the pond by now, and eventide was upon us. We rolled up our sleeves and pulled some kelp out of the pond.
"What are these tales?" I asked.
"It is said thou art a Forest creature adopted by this Forest Zollocco."
"Oh." I turned to hurry to the stream.
`Where art thou going? We must needs collect some water before we find our staying-place."
"The stream that feeds into this pond has sweeter tasting water up this way. Also this direction takes us to the staying place."
Somehow, I didn't want to tell the priest that the staying place was the space module from which I had escaped the Toelakhan until we got to it.
"Very well," said the priest.
We found the place where the soft moss grows besides the opening where the stream gurgles out of the ground. Here, I recalled, the stream's water can change its temperature drastically within a few minutes. I fetched my flask out of my basket and filled it. The priest had a hip flask and he filled that Daylight was fading. We hurried on.
I had no sense from Zollocco that the priest was invited to stay out among the trees for the night. The priest had to stay in the module or risk being attacked. As for me, I felt quite at home and looked forward to sleeping in the limbs of a massive oak that stood in the center of Zollocco.
The priest halted amazed. "It is a space module. Is it true then? Wert thou stolen from thy universe and listed as a zitam by the Toelakhan? Didst thou flee from them and find a home amidst Zollocco?"
"Yes, it is true. Thou wert there when I Listed was."
"Thou art truly a Forest creature, then."
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
We built a fire, skinned and sliced the snake, and then rolled kelp, berries, and spice-bark inside the pieces of snake meat. We roasted these dainties as it grew very, very dark and as the celestial bodies came out. After our dinner, the priest played his flute for me. I could feel that Zollocco was enchanted by the sweet music.