Amy’s eyes were damp, and after sitting down, she took a few breaths to get herself ready for this. “Simon, you’re right, it’s bad news. The specialist says your heart was weak from old age and the heart attack damaged your heart permanently. You are too old for a heart transplant, but, as Frank said, they can give you some medicine to help your heart.” Amy paused, and gathered her courage to tell Simon the worst part. “The specialist said you only have days or weeks to live, but they can make you comfortable during that time.” Amy had already asked about the cost, and she could afford it.
Simon didn’t respond to this, quietly looking at the ceiling, his eyes looking far away.
Amy asked, “Do you have family we can contact?”
Simon smiled, but he didn’t seem upset, “Yes, I have someone you can contact. The medicine has made me feel better, thank you for paying for that. What is a heart transplant? I understand the words, but not what they mean.”
Frank explained, “It’s when they operate, remove your heart, and put in a new heart from someone who has recently died in an accident.”
“Amazing,” said Simon. “There’s so much to learn here, but I seem to have run out of time.”
Frank muttered to Paul, “How can someone not know about heart transplants. Where did he come from? Some remote area of Mongolia, or eastern Europe?”
“Can we get in touch with your family, friends?” Amy insisted; there wasn’t much time to get hold of someone and get them here before the last week of the vacation was over.
Amy waited, Simon had heard her, but he was thinking about something. Simon looked at each one of them in turn. “I have friends at my school, but you can’t reach them in time.”
This response puzzled Amy, “We can get a message to them by email, or phone, or courier. We’ll find them some way.”
“Yes, you could take them a message, but it will take a long time to get there, over seven days, even if there are no problems on the journey,” said Simon. He looked at each of them again from his pillow, apparently making a decision. “I have some things at my camp that I need to prepare the message. Would you go and get them from my tent? My camp is at the ruins 10 minutes east of the village where you found me.”
“Sure,” said Amy, without consulting the others. If she got hold of his school, then the school or his family could come and take care of him. Amy was booked to fly back home on Saturday, and it would be expensive to change the ticket.
Frank pulled out a map from his backpack, and held it in front of Simon, “There are no ruins near the village on my map?”
Simon pointed out the location on the map, “It’s just a couple of old floors, probably too small to put on the map. Just 5 minutes along the road from the village, and then another 5 minutes up a path into the jungle.”
“And where’s your camp, exactly?” asked Paul; he liked everything to be clear.
“You could think of it as hidden at the ruins,” answered Simon.
“No, exactly!” insisted Paul.
“From where you arrive, my tent is in a clearing a short walk towards the rising sun.”
Simon looked at Amy, “It’s a secret that I will have to tell you. I first must have your oath that you will not tell anyone else. Amy?”
“Not even our families?”
“No one!”
“I promise,” said Amy, trying to catch the boys’ eyes.
Simon wasn’t satisfied, “No, not a promise, an oath to the One Who Tests, to your God, that you will tell no one else.”
Amy answered testily, “I give my oath.”
Simon seemed satisfied. “Thank you, Amy.” Simon repeated the process with Frank and Paul, looking each in the eyes as they answered. “Then this is what you do. You step on the sun, a yellow stone in the mural on the floor, and tap a sequence with my staff,” said Simon with a smile. He lay back wearily on his pillow.
“What sequence?” asked Frank.
Amy interrupted, “Simon, do you need to rest?”
“No, I’m good for a little while. Do you have a piece of paper?” asked Simon. Frank pulled out a pen and a small notebook from his backpack. When Frank was ready, Simon dictated, “Write down this sequence of taps; 5-2-1-1 then 2-1-8 then 1 then 3-5-2-1 then 6-3-1-1.”
“What does it do?” asked Frank.
“It will allow you to go to the campsite. How? You will see how when you do what I ask.” Simon had Frank read the sequence back. “Now take my staff and tap that sequence on the floor.”
“Sure,” said Frank, “but why such a long sequence?” Amy reached behind her and passed the staff to him. Paul threw a towel on the floor so that the tapping wouldn’t disturb the other patients or their visitors.
“I will explain it later but not today. Now, hold the staff in your right hand, with the wide end down,” instructed Simon.
Frank switched the staff to his right hand, and with a shrug and a smile, tried to spin it around so the thick end was on the floor, but got tangled in the curtains. Once he was untangled, Frank tapped the sequence a number of times with Simon giving instructions on timing and spacing of the taps.
Simon was satisfied, “Now, if you do the same thing when you are standing on the sun stone in the mural, you will go to my campsite.”
“And how do I get back?” asked Frank.
“Good question!” added Paul.
“You stand on a similar stone at my campsite and tap a different sequence. Write this down, Frank.” Frank pulled his pen and paper out of his pocket again. “5-2-1-1 then 2-1-8 then 1 then 3-5-2-1 then 5-2-7-8”
“Only the last four taps in the sequence are different?” questioned Frank.
Simon smiled at Frank, “Yes, that’s true. I will explain why later. Now when you step on the stone, make sure that everything is within the large circle in the mural; anything not inside the large circle could be cut off.”
Paul jumped in, “Cut off? How? Is this dangerous?”
Simon didn’t seem fazed by this response, “The large circle is nine strides across; you just need to be aware of it. I intend you no harm. I will be here in the hospital as a hostage and one of you can go and come back. If the person who goes doesn’t come back, you can easily take me to the police.”
Frank was puzzled, “Why can’t you just describe how it works?”
“No. You can only do what I ask, or not do it. It’s the only way.”
Frank was not going to be distracted, “What do you want from your campsite?”
“Inside my tent is a bag with five journals. Bring back that bag.”
“OK, we’ll get it,” said Amy.
Paul looked at her, pointed with his fingers, and moved his lips to indicate that he wanted to talk in the corridor.
Amy said to Simon, “We’re going down the corridor to discuss this.” Simon just lay there. Amy got up and led the others down the corridor until they were out of sight.
Simon closed his eyes, smiling.
Paul looked grim, “It’s stupid to trust someone you’ve only talked to for ten minutes.”
Amy moved to the wall, leaned back and eyed him, “Simon’s a good person, and hasn’t lied to us.”
Frank pointed out, “But he hasn't told us everything!”
She pleaded, “We can’t abandon him! Even if he hasn't told us everything, I’ll still do it, on my own if necessary. If I can contact his school then someone can come and take care of him.”
Paul shrugged, “Why insist on oaths? We’re not kids!”
Amy agreed, “I know that’s weird, but he just had a heart attack! Give the guy a break!”
Paul insisted, “We don’t know what this is about! We should say no.” He looked to Frank.
Frank shook his head, he wanted to go. It was clear that Paul was the only one opposed to doing what Simon asked. The discussion tapered off.
Paul stated, “If you both want to go, then I’ll go with you.”
“Thanks Paul,” said Amy.
Paul n
odded to Amy but his face showed that he was not happy. “Look, if anyone goes then I’m the best person to go.”
Amy asked Frank, “Any objections?” Frank just shook his head. He was as eager as Amy was to find out what Simon’s secret was.
Amy said, “OK, then you do it Paul and tell us what happens. If you don’t come back in five minutes, we’ll call the police.” Amy led them back into the ward.
Once they reached the bed, Paul said to Simon, “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you” Simon said, looking very pleased, “Remember everything. Once Paul comes back, if anyone else wants to go, you can all stand near the yellow stone together. Just stay away from the edge of the large circle.”
Amy wondered why this made Simon so pleased. No, not just pleased, more like a golfer that just hit a hole in one, ecstatic!
* * *
Frank led the way. There was no stopping him. He’d already taken them to every ruin within walking distance of the resort, plus a few that required bus rides, which was an experience in itself. Frank was bored with just ocean, sun, and sand, having run out of ruins to see. Amy had discovered that a ruin was always the hottest place around; no shade and the stones reflected the heat. They reached where the path should take them into the jungle. Overgrown by bushes, the path wasn’t easy to find. Once they found it, Paul led the way up the rough path. Amy followed carrying Simon’s staff and pack, with Frank behind her.
Soon the path opened up into a small clearing in the jungle. Amy could see that the clearing included the floors from two buildings and a few pieces of their outside walls. The larger floor consisted of grey stone blocks, nothing special. The smaller floor, however, was different, made of a row of grey tiles around the outside and a mosaic over the center of the floor. The mural was faded but she could see eight long red sunrays and three shorter yellowish sunrays, coming out of a yellow sun on a blue sky. Amy could see the larger circle in the joints of the mural pieces; Frank paced off the diameter as about twenty-five feet. The remnants of the stone walls were broken down to the level of the floor in places, with a gap on one side where there was no trace of a wall. “This is beautiful,” said Amy, “How old is it?”
“This doesn’t look Mayan or Aztec,” said Frank, as he videoed the floor and the clearing. What was left of the walls had carvings inside and out. Frank borrowed Simon’s staff from Amy to video it against a wall. Carvings covered the staff, and Frank was comparing them to the style of the carvings on the walls. Amy saw that they were similar.
Paul examined the mural, and particularly the yellow stone, the sun in the center of the mural and the circle, asking, “How could tapping on this stone take me to his campsite?”
Amy was looking at the yellow stone as well, bending down to feel it. Amy said quietly. “Paul, it doesn’t make any sense to me either, but we’re here so let’s try it. I need to call his school.”
Paul looked around the clearing again, and once more at the yellow stone that clearly represented the sun. “OK, why not! We’ve come this far. But if nothing happens, I don’t want to hear any jokes about this.”
Frank laughed, “Of course! I wouldn’t want everyone to know I was tricked by a ninety-year-old peasant.”
Paul gave Frank an exasperated look. Leaving his backpack next to Frank’s, he walked to the yellow stone and stepped hesitantly into the exact center. Amy noticed that Paul was nervous, examining the stone’s surface. Frank gave him the piece of paper with the address sequences on it. Amy and Frank moved back outside the larger circle.
Paul lifted Simon’s staff and tapped the wide end next to his feet, following the sequence on the paper. When he finished, Amy heard a faint deep bell-like sound, three times, as if you heard a church bell from blocks away. As the sound disappeared, and before Paul could move, a huge black dome appeared around where Paul stood. Less than a second later, the black dome was gone, as was Paul!
Chapter 3 – Where on Earth?
Amy gasped.
“Wow,” said Frank jumping up and moving to the circle.
Amy grabbed Frank’s arm, stopping him. “Just start timing. We said 5 minutes,” Amy said firmly, although her fingers trembled as she let go of his arm.
She and Frank were standing, watching the stone and the circle, but keeping their distance. Frank started the stopwatch function on his phone.
“Frank, set your camcorder on that wall over there,” Amy suggested, pointing to the opposite corner. “Set it to record us and the floor.”
Frank moved to the opposite side, careful to stay out of the circle. He aimed the camcorder across the floor. Frank signaled that he’d stay on the other side. Amy stayed where she was.
The five minute limit passed! Should they call the police? They looked at each other, and continued to watch the floor in silence. “It's almost ten minutes,” said Frank looking at his watch. “It has to be soon.”
“How much longer should we wait?” Amy wondered out loud.
Frank shrugged, but he looked worried too.
Amy heard the faint bell-like sound again. Three tones. This time Amy could tell that the sound came from under the center of the tiled floor, where the yellow stone was. A second or two later, a huge black dome suddenly appeared on the floor, its bottom edge touching the large circle in the mosaic. In a fraction of a second it was gone and Paul was standing on the yellow stone, facing her. Paul smiled as he saw that Frank was now behind him. Paul wasn’t carrying Simon’s books. She asked, “Didn’t you find Simon’s tent?”
“I found the tent but you’ll have to see this for yourselves. Let’s go together.”
“Is it safe?” asked Frank.
“As far as I can tell.”
Frank asked, “What’s there? What did you find?”
“You won’t believe me; you’ll just have to see it yourself.”
Amy protested, joking, “Now you sound like Simon!” Amy was anxious to see whatever Paul had found, so she picked up Simon’s pack and moved close to Paul on the mosaic. Frank joined them.
“Closer,” said Paul, looking down at their feet. Amy could see a blush under his Italian tan and smiled. “It should be safe in the center. You’ll feel something cool moving fast from your feet to your head.”
Frank was laughing. “Looks cozy to me. Sure you’re not just doing this to get your hands on Amy?”
Amy teased, “Just pretend we’re dancing!”
Paul ignored them, and reading Frank’s notes, he tapped the sequence.
Amy heard the three bell tones, this time from under her feet. As the final tone ended the black dome suddenly surrounded them. Amy felt the chill Paul had warned them about, moving from her feet to her head, almost as if it was pulling upwards on her a little. She found herself in absolute darkness, only knowing that Paul was still there because she could feel his arm under her fingers.
* * *
Five years earlier, waiting in that same clearing in Mexico that Amy, Paul, and Frank had just left, were two people.
Nick Molinaro, Director and Board member of the Society of the Book sat on a piece of the ruins looking at the mural and watching the archeologists pack up. Dave Higgins, his second in command, and friend, was there with him. If Nick was successful in using the pillar for the first time, or did not survive the attempt, Dave would take back that information to the Society of the Book.
Nick was impatient, fidgeting with his backpack as he waited for the archeologist’s team to leave. The Society had waited on Earth from before recorded history for this opportunity. Dave finished looking around the clearing and the ruins, came back, and sat next to him.
Nick whispered, “I wish they’d get a move on! I feel like I’ve personally been waiting for thousands of years for this. I’m getting older by the minute!” From his verbal orientation, the Society put nothing in writing; he knew that all of his predecessors had died without this chance. After 10 years he'd finally found a pillar. A footnote in an archeological magazine about some new r
uins with unusual carvings, exposed by a torrential downpour, had caught his interest. A small archeological team had been sponsored.
“Is that it?” Dave asked looking at the round yellow stone in the middle of the mural.
“Yes. If it works we’ll have our chance to ‘step on the sun’ as they called it. Pray that it works. It took thousands of years to find this one.”
Dave asked quietly, so the men and women working around him wouldn’t hear, “How were they lost? That’s not been part of my briefing.”
“True. It’s on a need to know basis. But, I guess you need to know.” Nick stood up and signaled Dave to follow him away from listening ears. “Thousands of years ago the founding members of the Society were trapped on Earth by a sudden cataclysm. We think an asteroid hit the planet. The survivors struggled for decades to build wooden ships capable of sailing across the oceans. Once they had, they found that the pillar sites they were seeking were lost, buried by tsunami debris, overgrown by forests and jungles, drowned by lakes or oceans, or covered by the drifting sands of new deserts. Now, with a lot of money to spend, funneled through different companies, modern technology, and some luck, we’ve finally found one of the pillars. All that remains is to test it.”
Señor Corzo was coming over to them, “Mr. Molinaro, Nick, we can’t thank your company enough for sponsoring this archeological work. I’m disappointed to tell you that we haven’t been able to tie the carvings or the mural to any other buildings or civilization, they remain a mystery.” The Mexican archeologist was sincere in his disappointment. “The small pieces of walls and floor mural poking out of the jungle had all the aspects of a promising find, but the excavation has been a disappointment. As you can see there were only the floors of these two buildings, and there were no artifacts to tell us how the buildings were used. In fact, there has been no way to date the age of the buildings at all. The carvings on the remnants of the walls around the mural floor are unique, but there is so little left that no further work can be done.”
Nick could see that Señor Corzo was surprised that his sponsor did not seem upset by this news. “Señor Corzo, our company is not disappointed. We understand archeology, and we sponsor projects all over the world. Sometimes the answers don’t come quickly, and we are patient. We’re pleased with the mystery of the mural and the carvings; it gives us something new to look for. Whoever built these buildings must have built elsewhere; it is only a matter of time before we find them.”