Jaks takes my hand as we
leave the shop and walk down the street.
“Sam, what the hell are we
doing? Those men are animals. They’ll kill us.”
“Who are they, Jaks?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. You know
them. They knew you by name. Now tell me. Who are they?”
“What did they ask you to
do?”
“Break a code. Decode a
message. And then encode their answer.”
“And you did it?”
“Yes”
“What did it say?”
“Asia. Something about
Asia, I didn’t understand it. Who are they, Jaks?”
“Very bad people, Sam. Thugs.
Murderers. International terrorists.”
“How do you know them?”
“I’m an international
mediator. I have to sit down with this kind of scum all the time and try to
resolve issues that they would rather not have resolved. But, Sam, honey, I
have to tell you something. Something bad, even worse than international
murdering thugs. Something I should have told you as soon as we got home. I
wanted to tell you before, but I didn’t know how you’d react. Remember that I
love you more than anything in the world, this world, and all worlds. Please
don’t be angry with me, or think that I don’t truly love you with my whole
heart and soul, because I do. Samantha, I’m not who you think I am. I’m your
Jaks, and I always will be your Jaks, but, honey, I’m…”
A shiny doorway of silvery,
opaque semi-liquid opens up on the brick wall as we walk by. Hands, many hands,
ten maybe, reach out of the silvery doorway and grab me, pulling me inside.
“Jaks!” I scream and
struggle to get free of all those hands grabbing at me.
“No! Sam!” Jakson holds on
to my hand as long as he could. “Sam, hold on to me! Don’t let go! Samantha! No!”
But I am pulled inside, away from him. I see his hand reach into the shimmering
semi-liquid for a moment, groping around for me as I am being pulled farther
and farther away from him. As I watch,
the silvery liquid solidifies into… a mirror.
“Isabella! Bella! Are you
hurt?” An old man with long grey-white hair dressed in a flowing white robe
over a green gown wearing a beautiful golden crown hugs me vigorously. “I
honestly felt that you were lost to me forever, my precious daughter. I feared
you were dead.”
“Father! No, I’m fine.”
“You look, uh, very bizarre,
daughter.”
I pull off the red wig,
tousle my hair, and smile up at him.
“Ah, there’s my girl! Tell
me, Bella, did you recognize any of your captors?”
“No, Father. But
everything is all confused. I feel like I’ve been tugged and dragged and pulled
apart. And I have a nasty headache.”
“That is to be expected. That
damn mirror transporter jangles up your brainwaves. Nasty piece of technology. It’s
not ours. It’s Galt in origin. Rest a bit, my child, and then we’ll have
something to eat. Cook made soup. And then, maybe I can help you unravel some
of your confusion you’re feeling. I’m sure you’ll want to dress in something a
little more, uh, um, appropriate.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Justin. Cora. Come here. Look!
Bella is home.” Justin and Cora come running.
16.
No comments:
Post a Comment