Chapter – 22
I awoke to the perfect darkness of the lonely room. I could hear the distant winds of a sand storm reshaping the dunes above. The upper levels of our building leaned and shuddered in motion with the entire city, like a collective consciousness moving in the wind.
I felt the city was somehow speaking in its motions, like the storm above somehow bringing the buildings to life. They talked with one another...and I could hear them. It took me time to understand their words. I realized they were telling a story.
The city had a golden age of building, where it spread across the planet's surface, but that age ended, replaced by a vast recession. The recession has gone on for centuries, and it would continue until it was complete. There was neither happiness nor sadness in the motions of the city, in their conversations. There was inevitability. There were the days of glory, and now it would stand with dignity until the end, showing the glory it still possessed. I liked this. Too many things fought to be eternal, fought to be the one thing to outlast all others. I preferred the city. It chose to find beauty in stepping aside.
I listened to its voice for a while, allowing the song to lull me to sleep. My eyes drifted back open when I heard a whisper. I knew it was from no member of my company. I listened more, and realized there were no words in this whisper. Leaving the warmth of my covers, I crawled towards the single door of the lonely room. I was careful not to disturb my sleeping family. Bringing myself next to the door, I rested my ear against it.
The whisper was there, so close to forming words it was tantalizing. For a few minutes, I only took in the haunting melody, until it was interrupted.
No. Interrupted isn’t the right word. It was exchanged, as if passed to another whisperer. This new voice was sweeter, even romantic. I smiled, unsure how best to appreciate this. I leaned against the wall, allowing the melody to continue.
I lost track of time. The two voices traded back and forth with no delays, following an unspoken choreography. The hall outside the room sounded alive. I wanted to open the door, but was worried doing so would break the spell in some way.
As time went on, the melody changed. It became sad, even tragic. I felt like I was hearing a story again. It was beautiful.
The music played for so long I began drifting back to sleep. Soon the fireflies were dancing across my vision, following the melody. They continued their usual senseless patterns, but in slow motion. The tragic music they emulated brought tears to my eyes. I was only moments from sleep when I realized something.
The melody was getting quieter, and I could now hear echoes. They were leaving. Shaking myself awake, I found my power cell and exited the room, closing the door behind me. I activated the cell and held it high, looking up the circular staircase towards the source of the whispers. Whatever was making the noise was also ascending the stairs.
I moved to the stairs myself, beginning my climb. I must have been catching up, because the music was growing clearer. Once near the top of the steps, I looked upward, seeing a momentary shimmer of white light.
I continued up the steps, until finally I was at ground level, face to face with the sand storm ripping against the fragments of building all around me. The sudden cold washed over my skin and through my hair. I waved the power cell high in the air, trying to spot the source of the shimmering white. I ended my search staring at the open wall before me, the raging sandstorm only paces away. Whatever caused the shimmer had left through there. I didn’t dare follow. I thought maybe I could hear traces of the distant melody, but perhaps I was only fooling myself…
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City of Ghosts. That’s what I call it. My father said this city’s seen better days, but I don’t think so. I think these are its glory days, the days where it’s not just a city, a place to live, eat, and sleep. It doesn’t need people. The City of Ghosts makes its own songs now, and I have taken on the role of audience, while I’m still here.
My companions and I didn’t stray far from our shelter. We'd settled, and why shouldn’t we? There was nowhere else to go. The ship containing all of our food and seeds was destroyed. Reaching fertile soil and fresh water would only allow us to starve slower, not that I was optimistic about reaching the other side of the mountain with what we had. Don’t get the impression I had given up. Yes, I was frustrated, but not discouraged. I was treating it like just another fight, forcing the situation to work no matter how difficult.
I found a place of solitude, as I always did. I needed a place where I could feel alone. It was the uppermost level of our building, which wasn't nearly the tallest in the city. The wind at this height wasn’t overpowering, but loud enough to mask any sound my family may be making.
Despite everything that happened, despite our lack of hope…everyone in my family was happy. We often sat together, telling old stories, or reminiscing about the past. As we all ate in each other’s company, we silently counted down the days we had left. It was like a small celebration as our journey together came to its end. I was thankful for this attitude. I didn't want to die in misery. At least I could die smiling with the people I loved.
Robert and Mary didn’t much share the attitude. They stayed to themselves, rarely appearing outside of the lonely room. They were cold to me, refusing to give me more than a few words whenever I tried speaking with them. Whenever I was direct with them, whenever I asked bluntly what was bothering them, they only shook their heads, fending off painful memories. I knew a lost cause when I saw one.
In my private place, I sat in the roof’s centre. I didn’t dare go near the edge. The sinking feeling that gripped me when I looked over the edge was too much. I was content where I was, looking up at the great mountains before me, the view often interrupted by the taller buildings of Ghost City. The mountains were magnificent. They stretched into the clouds, and still I didn’t see a speck of snow on their peaks. It looked as if the city knelt before the mountains, shying away from their majesty.
I couldn’t put my finger on the feeling. There was something important about these mountains, and I was sure Mary or Robert knew the answer. Then it occurred to me. It wasn’t just the city that was cowering before the snowless peaks above. Mary and Robert…they were hiding from the mountains also. I thought of confronting them with my hunch, but I knew there was no rush. Not now anyway. I had more pressing concerns.
Pulling the pearls from my pocket, I held them out before me, adding them to the spectacle. The Mystery Mountains, the City of Ghosts, and the silver pearls were all before me now, giving away nothing.
“What secrets do you hold?” I asked.
__________
I picked my time carefully. I waited until no family members were in the lonely room, in order to be alone with Robert and Mary. Getting past everyone without a word, I made my way hastily down the steps, power cell in hand. I couldn’t have been very quiet, despite my efforts. This planet pulled me to the ground far faster than I was accustomed to. I could hear my every step echo unnaturally around me.
I set foot on the bottom level and moved to the door. I could hear voices inside, but didn’t hesitate. Pulling open the door, my dull green light illuminated both Robert and Mary, sitting comfortably across the room from each other. Their conversation stopped abruptly, and they both looked to me. It wasn’t difficult to guess they were talking about me. For a few seconds they seemed confused by my sudden entry, but that didn’t last.
I walked forward and eyed them both. “It’s the mountains, isn’t it?”
They both reacted with total shock. I looked from one to the other, hoping for answers, but something very different happened. Mary’s face went from shock to guilt. She looked away from me, trying to hide tears. Finally she started crying, covering her mouth. Robert also seemed overwhelmed by guilt, but shed no tears. He looked away from me in shame. After a few seconds, he stood and went to Mary’s side, comforting her
with an arm over her shoulder.
I watched this in deep confusion. I thought they were afraid of the mountains, but that didn't seem to be the case. They were in pain, and I couldn’t understand why. I stood near the door awkwardly, unsure of what to do. They both stayed huddled to themselves. After a long wait, I had to say something, and I did so delicately.
“The mountains have something to do with your last days on Earth,” I said quietly. “Why…are you so hurt by it?”
The reply came from Robert.
“Don’t ask us that,” he said firmly.
“Why is this mountain so important? Why hide?”
“Shut up!” Robert shouted, rising to his feet and turning to me.
I was so stunned by his reaction that I staggered back, raising my hands in surrender.
Robert advanced, shouting as he drew closer. “This is your fault! Can’t you see what you’re doing to us?!”
“What are you talking about?” I shouted back.
“We don’t want to be here! We don’t want to be anywhere near this planet, let alone this city! Can’t you see that? You have taken us to a place of suffering!”
“Me!?” I retorted. “You forced your way into my head! You chose to follow!”
“We chose nothing!” bellowed Robert. “You just don’t get it! We go where you go. There is no choice in that.”
“I only came here because there was a chance my family could survive. If that torments you, I’m sorry, but no one has the option of leaving anymore, not even me.”
Robert shook his head. “There is no hope to be had here, Abel.” His shoulder dropped, and his fury became sorrow. “There is no hope anywhere, for any of us.”
I looked at him, my eyes running across his face again and again, scanning for any trace of self doubt, but there was none. He spoke the truth, as he saw it.
My own voice wasn’t full of confidence by any means, but I also spoke the truth. “I refuse to believe that…”
Robert sighed heavily, looking to the floor. “Then we will all die together, us in the graves we deserve." With that, he turned to Mary, who was still sobbing weakly on the floor. The conversation was over, though I still had no answers. I left, not sure exactly where I intended to go.
I couldn’t understand why, and maybe I never would, but there was something dancing in my mind. They were fireflies, following the same meaningless pattern as before. They appeared at the mention of hope…
__________
And the melody returned.
I was waiting in a room a few levels above my sleeping family, with the intention of seeing the singers who produced the melody. The singers, however, were not easily predicted.
Instead of appearing outside the lonely room, where they had last time, I could hear them above me, closer to the surface. This reminded me of a story my mother once told me, about rainbows. You could chase them, but they would always be out of reach. I tried anyway.
I crept from my hiding place and looked upward, seeing the dim white light above. It was shimmering on the walls and through the cracks in some stairs. I was enchanted by the melody's beauty. These were different singers than last time. There was a deeper voice than before, and the other was far more feminine. I wondered how many of these singers there may be roaming the city.
With care, I crawled up the steps. My eyes were constantly darting upwards to the silvery light. If they knew I was drawing closer, their song didn’t reflect it.
I reached the next level, moving in the dark to get a glimpse of the singers. I expected them to be around the next corner. Their voices were strong, and the white light filled the hallways beyond. After peering around the corner, I was disappointed to find nothing. Their lights and voices were fading as the singers ascended upward.
Being less stealthy, I ran to the next set of steps and began climbing. The singers no longer worried about how close I was. Even when my exhaustion slowed me down, their speed didn’t change. I struggled to remain within earshot.
I reached ground level, looking about eagerly. My eyes eventually settled on the open dunes of Ghost City beyond the building my family and I were sheltered in. There was no storm tonight. Walking forward, I scanned the portion of the city before me, listening for the melody. I could still hear it, though barely. It was not lost, and neither were the singers. Finally, and with a rush of excitement, I saw a dull shimmer reflected off a distant building.
A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, a thousand ideas followed by a thousand hesitations. I couldn’t think of an appropriate course of action, or an intelligent one. There was only one thing I knew. I knew I wanted to see the singers, to know the source of the melody.
Taking a deep breath, I ran into the maze of dunes and massive buildings, following the silvery shimmer into the city. Running in the sand was difficult, each step sinking a short ways. I fell many times, breathing heavily in the cold evening air. I passed a structure, then another, their heights dizzying whenever I dared to look. Closer and closer I drew to the source of the melody. I was certain I was close.
I became excited, though my limbs and lungs were growing tired. My pace slowed accordingly. Taking the time to breathe, I listened more intently to the melody. There was no doubt. The song had changed. It'd become softer, but somehow more meaningful. Not only that, but I was sure there were more singers now, more voices.
There was a wall of smooth sand between me and the most brilliant explosion of silver light from which the melody emanated. I moved forward, only to slip and fall to my left, tumbling down a tall dune. Regaining my footing and shaking my head clear, I stumbled my way back up. Reaching the final wall of sand, I dug my fingers and toes into its surface and began pulling myself up. Each motion was more difficult than the last as I became weaker and weaker. Rational thought only crept into my mind for a moment or two, questioning my very reason for climbing this hill, so far away from shelter and security in the middle of the night. These thoughts didn't last. My will to see what was beyond this wall was too strong. I didn’t relent, and after several minutes, I came to the crest of the hill. I dragged myself onto the safety of its rounded peak, then collapsed there, exhausted.
I panted, allowing some of my strength to return and my eyes to rest. Soon there was just the melody, so tragically beautiful and heartfelt. It was then I realized, more than ever before, how amazingly soft the sand was. It used to feel cold and bitter. Now that I was sweating from the climb, the sand was cool and welcoming.
I almost forgot why I made the climb in the first place. My eyes opened, and I crawled a short way farther, until my face was bathed in the silvery light, and my eyes feasted on the source.
There was no other way to describe them. They were ghosts, many dozens of them, maybe hundreds. They sparkled like light on rippling water, the figures of men, women and children. They were wearing clothes of many varieties, but the way they danced made all the fabric move like capes and dresses. They were elegant, unlike anything else I had ever seen. They were coming in and out of sight as they vanished behind structures and dunes, but they all stayed close. It must have been a gathering of some kind. I may be the first person ever to see this, and perhaps I was the only one who could see. This was my reward for embracing a playful mind.
I had no will to break the spell playing out before me, so I did nothing but watch. If time was the only price to pay for this spectacle, then I paid it gladly.
__________
When I woke up, the melody had stopped.
I had found my spot so soothing that sleep couldn’t be resisted. I knew I couldn’t have been asleep for very long. When I opened my eyes, the night still surrounded me, as did the silver shine of the ghosts. I couldn’t imagine why they would stop. I had never heard them stop before. Stretching as comfortably as I could, I opened my eyes. It was cold, but that didn’t bother me much.
Shaking my head, I looked up to see why
the melody had stopped. The answer came easier than I had anticipated. I found myself looking up at one of the ghosts, standing right in front of me. I gasped and rushed to my feet, stepping back a few paces. The ghost watched me with her soft, curious eyes. I felt the sting of fear, as my eyes looked past her to the many others. Their clothes didn’t rustle in the weak wind that passed by. Every pair of eyes was on me. My fear developed into terror, and I fixed my gaze once again on the woman in front of me.
I realize why they had stopped the melody. It was me. From their stares, I could see I had done harm. I couldn’t imagine how or why, but because of my presence, the spell had been broken. My innocent audience was an intrusion.
“I…” I began, finding absolutely no words with which to apologize. She just continued staring at me.
She took one shimmering, elegant step towards me, raising her hand as if to shoo me.
“But…wait!” I said, looking behind me, down the wall of sand on which we now stood. My tracks were gone, covered over by fresh sand, blown into place by the wind. “I don’t know where to go! I can’t remember the way b…” I stopped speaking abruptly when I took a better look at her hand.
She waved at me again, more commanding this time. I should have been afraid. Maybe I should have run and hid until the sun rose, avoiding the wrath of these ghosts, but I couldn't. There was something about her hand, something strange that drew my eye. It was glowing, more powerfully than the woman herself, even more powerfully than any ghost behind her. She didn’t seem to notice anything strange, attempting still more harshly to force me away. Never did she make a sound. She started shooing me more urgently, but my eyes didn't leave her hand.
“It’s you,” I said in a whisper. She looked at me in confusion, but I persisted. “You!” I said again, with a flare of nervous excitement. I pointed to her hand, my eyes locking with hers. “You were here!”
She waved me away again, this time angrily. Some of the other ghosts were coming closer now.
“You can show me what happened here,” I said, speaking to her directly, my voice remarkably loud and firm. Still she appeared angry, so I reached into my pocket. She took another threatening step forward, and I stepped back swiftly, pulling the pearls from my pocket. I held them out to her. As I suspected, one of the pearls was glowing vividly in concert with her hand. Both her hand and the pearls became brighter and brighter.
At the very sight of the pearls, everything changed. The woman before me was stunned, taking a hasty step back, her eyes wide and her full lips parted. Suddenly, the wind moving through the city caught her clothing, which rustled along with her hair. All other ghosts looked shocked as well, every single one of them backing away slowly, some disappearing altogether. They were all glowing brighter, but none more so than the woman.
“Now you understand,” I said to her, as she looked at me with an entirely new expression. “You were here when Earth was abandoned...and I need you to tell me what happened. I need to know what happened...”
She hesitated, looking again at the pearls in my outstretched hand. It took her some time to finally decide. The answer came in the form of a small nod. With movements both smooth and haunting, she stepped forward and placed her glowing hand on mine. I could feel the warmth of her skin, and then the familiar weakness and tiredness brought on by the pearls. The answers were coming, the answers I had been searching for since these pearls first began telling me their story.
Before I was completely overtaken, the sand beneath my left foot gave way, and I suddenly tumbled backwards down the tall wall of sand, a terrible thrill rushing through my body. The last thing I remember seeing was the ghost woman reaching out quickly to catch my trailing hand, but she failed.
I was unconscious before my body slammed into the declining sandy slope.
Jenna Grisham