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I was a corpse. My body and mind teetered on exhaustion. Crazy dreams ran through my head. Visions of Brady, mummies, crocodiles, and mythical creatures chased me through worlds of imagination.
The monsters in my dream vanished, replaced by a more real danger. I awoke with a start but lay completely motionless beneath the heavy woolen blankets. I kept my breathing even and regular so as not to alert anyone that I had awakened. Brady and I had learned several breathing techniques as part of our martial arts training. I’m pretty sure one of our teachers was a ninja. Seriously, this guy would be standing next to me one minute and gone the next. Ninja. He actually conducted a demonstration in which he slowed his heart rate and lowered his blood pressure to simulate death. Pretty amazing stuff but I’ve never actually been in a position that required me to simulate my own death. The principles involved, however, did allow me to put myself into a state of immediate relaxation at will. This particular skill really comes in handy in situations like checking out in the express lane at the grocery store. The signs say 15 items or less, people. That’s what makes it faster than the other lanes. That’s what makes it an express lane. If you have more than 15 items, you’re breaking the rules and throwing the whole system into disarray, not to mention causing people unnecessary stress. Not me cause I got these mad skills, but other people are suffering, man.
Focus! I yelled in my head. I concentrated all my senses on determining what had caused me to awaken. Muffled noises crawled from a corner of my room. Validating my fears, the noises confirmed that I was not alone.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness. The shadowy form of a man took shape before me. Moving as slowly and as quietly as possible, I eased from under the covers and crept up behind the intruder.
Lunging forward, I tackled the interloper and wrestled him into submission on the floor. The intruder’s failure to put up a fight surprised me.
I know being on my middle school’s wrestling team has sharpened my grappling skills but I expected at least some resistance. I also watch a lot of wrestling on TV.
My would-be attacker struggled briefly then lay still. I lit a nearby candle and discovered the purple-robed man beneath me. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on the old guy that he was up to no good.
The contents of my pack lay scattered on the floor where they had obviously been dumped and gone through. Fireworks, my I-Pod, and a handful of snacks circled the area my captive had previously occupied.
“You don’t belong here,” said the old man. His voice had a faintly familiar accent.
“Is there something I can help you find? Who are you and why are you going through my things?”
“I have gone by many names during my wanderings, boy. Here, I am known as Mervyn, Wizard and Grand Advisor to his Majesty, King Kong. Once upon a time, I was Franz Von Neidermeheir. I believe we are kindred spirits, you and I.”
I released my hold and sat back, stunned by the revelation. A thousand questions struggled to make themselves known. Was it possible that the world-famous explorer was actually lying beneath me? If the Eye of the gods had brought Neidermeheir to this time and place was it possible that Brady was here too? I struggled to make sense of this turn of events. I desperately tried to get a ...
“Did you say, Mervyn? Don’t you mean Merlyn?”
Franz smiled sheepishly and replied, “It’s Mervyn, my boy. When I first arrived here, I did call myself Merlyn. You know, King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, and all that sort of stuff. Unfortunately, the actual Merlyn resided two towns over in Camelot. As you probably know, he dabbled in the magical arts,” he said chuckling. “Things got to be really confusing, so I started going by Mervyn and eventually, folks started calling me Merv and it stuck. When I started raising Gryphons to make a few extra shillings, I became known as Merv the Gryphon Raiser, which eventually got shortened to Merv Gryphon. So yes, I’m now known as Mervyn.”
“Why are you going through my things, sir?”
“I sincerely apologize, young man. I knew immediately when I saw you that you were a traveler like me. I wasn’t sure how you came to be here and decided to do a little investigating before I approached you. I thought I might find some clues in your belongings. Again, I’m very sorry.”
“Apology accepted, sir,” I responded with a little relief in my voice. Thinking this man might provide me with information that could help me find Brady and get me home, I tried to keep him talking. “How did you get here, Mr. Neidermeheir?”
“Call me Merv. I imagine the same way as you, through the Eye of the gods. A snake named Walter tricked me into thinking the Eye was some kind of fountain of youth. I stepped in ready to watch the years fade away and instead they flew by and I found myself here in the Kingdom of Snard. How did they talk you into stepping into the Eye, my boy?”
“They didn’t,” I replied. “A weasel named Jeffery pushed my brother and me into the time portal. I initially landed in ancient Egypt, battled a blood-thirsty mummy, and wound up here.”
Technically, I really have no idea whether Haphazard was blood-thirsty or not. And I know, what transpired in that pyramid was hardly a battle but I certainly wasn’t going to tell the greatest explorer of the late nineteenth century that I screamed like a girl and accidentally unraveled Haphazard. Do you blame me?
“I see,” Merv said. “So you have been through two vortexes? How did you initiate the second rift?
“Initiate a rift? I have no idea. I was battling Haphazard IV (shut up - that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) when a worm hole opened in the passageway behind him. I jumped in and here I am.”
“We have many things to discuss, Eli. But right now, I expect you should get some rest. We can put our heads together in the morning and sort through this whole time travel business.”
I nodded and helped the old man to his feet. He groaned a bit as he climbed from the floor.
“You pack quite a punch, young man,” Merv said with a grin.
“Sorry about that, sir. When I saw you in my room, I just kind of reacted.”
“Quick reactions will serve you well, in this time and place. Be wary, Eli. This is a hard life you’ve been thrown into. Good night, my boy.” Merv gave me a quick pat on the arm and said, “Sleep well and we’ll talk in the morning.”
“Good night, Merv.”
With that, Merv eased open my chamber door and disappeared into the hallway. I replaced the contents that had been poured from my pack, my hands finding Merv’s book of puns. I jogged to the door and called after my midnight visitor but the hallway stood empty. Weariness washed over me again. I made my way back to my bed, sure, despite my exhaustion, I wouldn’t be able to find sleep again with all the information running through my head. Returning Merv’s book would keep until morning.
As jaguars, mummies, pyramids, and dragons flashed through my mind, I battled and banished each, sleep finally over-taking me. Once again, I was a corpse.