The Forgotten Eden (24 page)

“‘
Hello, Jack!’

“
Her voice was soft, sweet, and surprisingly normal. The singsong din from the others faded, as if listening to her now.

“‘
We’ve been hoping you’d make it here so we could formally meet in person!’

“
I was speechless. I mean, I’m listening to a small child made from the soil beneath me. The fucking
soil
, for Christ’s sake! I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. And despite the calm demeanor of everyone surrounding me, I felt panicked, certain that my screams had alerted Genovene and the others to my presence in the garden. I started to sit up in order to peek through the flowers, fully expecting to see a ring of villagers. The little girl grabbed my arm.

“‘
Don’t do it, Jack!’ she advised. ‘Do you really think she knows you’re here? I know…you think she heard your hollering a moment ago, and believe me, we’re all grateful you calmed down and gained some reason to your thoughts. But if Genovene had heard you, she would’ve been here long before now, I can assure you!’

“‘
What about the other two critters just here?’ I asked. ‘They must’ve found me.’

“‘
Maybe they did. But, we sure gave them a good scare to send them scurrying away, didn’t we?’ She chuckled for a moment, and then looked up earnestly into my face. ‘Jack...aside from the help of her bumbling goons, the truth of the matter is Genovene hasn’t been able to keep track of you since you spoke to your mom back in that pottery shack of hers—’

“‘
You know my mom
?’
I blurted out, unaware I’d even interrupted her.
‘
Where is she now
?
Is she okay
??’

“
The little girl really had my attention now. She frowned slightly, as if sorting her thoughts. Then she smiled and spoke to me again.

“‘
There’s not enough time to answer your questions to your satisfaction. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s true. Think of it this way, Jack. Both your mom and dad are doing fine now, just like we are.’

“
The earthen group lying around us agreed, with one lingering ‘amen’ that followed the rest.

“‘
When your wish at the pool was granted earlier today, your mom forced her way out of the spiritual bonds that have held us all until now. Once she went, the rest of us followed her lead. As we speak, the boxes you’ve learned about are bursting at their very seams throughout this place. Every one of us is free to roam the village since Genovene remains largely unaware of this development. That’s how we ended up here with our very own bones that’d been buried in this spot long ago.
You’re hurt
!’

“
She gasped, reaching up to touch me on my shoulder with her earthen hand. Instantly, the pain lessened. She then withdrew her hand from the wound, crossing it with her other hand upon her stomach. I looked over at my shoulder, amazed to see the wound closing up through the tear in my shirt. A moment later, all evidence of the injury had disappeared! I smiled, laughing nervously, amazed and grateful for the little girl’s healing power.

“‘
We’re all victims of Genovene, Jack,’ she said, ‘and we’d love nothing better than to see you succeed. So, we’ll be sending you on your way in a moment. Just be aware she’ll be able to see or at least sense your location once you get within striking distance of the lion’s head. You
must
avoid any direct confrontation with that witch or you’re a goner for sure! Trust me, Jack. She’ll wrap her claws around your throat in a death grip faster than you could call to Jesus! I know, Uncle Ned, that’s sacrilegious of me, but I couldn’t help myself….The next thing you know you’re on top of that awful pyramid, with your chest laid bare and ready for her and her kin to carve out your beating heart. You can bet, too, they’ll go and show it to you just before they tear your head off and butcher the rest of—’

“‘
That’s enough, Allyson!’ a young man’s voice broke in. ‘Spare him your fascination with the unpleasantness that goes on around here, will you?’

“
Irritated with her, the dude sat up, just to my right. He looked about Jeremy’s age, with his hair nearly as long as my brother’s, too. Like Huck Finn as a man, I suppose, dressed in overalls, torn shirt, and even a frayed straw hat—all made from the garden’s soil, no less.

“‘
Sorry, Uncle Ned,’ she apologized. ‘I got a little carried away…. Jack, consider this as you leave us. I’ve been stuck here for more than thirty years, and my great, great,
great
Uncle Ned here has been trapped in this place for more than a
hundred
years! Can you believe it?? Others, some of whom are with us right now, have been in this hellish realm for several hundred years or longer. Much,
much
longer.’

“
Suddenly, they all looked toward the road, though only a few could see through the thick plant foliage. An old man in a western-styled suit and broad-brimmed hat took this opportunity to address me.

“‘
You need to be on your way, son!’ he admonished. ‘They’re out there eliminating hiding places and will find this nifty hideout pretty soon. Gotta hand it to that bitch, she’s pretty thorough about most things. Hey, ya’ll! Let’s clear a path for Jack.... Yeah, that’s it! There you go, son!’

“
They all did as the old man directed, and I scooted myself over to the edge of the garden closest to the marketplace. The flowers and plants lower on this side, I stuck my head up amid a thick clump of bright red poppies to get a good look. The area was still clear.

“‘
Goodbye, Jack!’ the little girl said, and everyone else in the group chimed in. ‘We’ll be praying for you, and rest assured if there’s any way we can help out, we’ll do it!’

“‘
Thanks,’ I whispered, and stepped out from the garden, crouching low as I prepared to sprint out of there.

“‘
Tell Marshall that your namesake says ‘hello’! Can you remember to do that for me?’ the old man called after me.

“‘
Yeah, I’ll tell him!’

“‘
Good luck to you, son!’

“
I told him thanks and raced over to the marketplace, hiding behind a marble pillar. Baffled by his words, what the hell did he mean by ‘your namesake’? It didn’t make any sense, but perhaps it’d mean something to Grandpa. I wished I had more time to talk with him and the little girl.

“
The entire area empty for the moment, I scurried from shelf to shelf fighting the urge to grab something to eat, given my last experience. I soon could see the village gates clearly, less than two hundred feet away. Morylan still guarded them.

“
While deciding how best to avoid detection by him, a chorus of shrill screams erupted behind me, coming from the garden. I felt compelled to check on my new friends. Near that edge of the stand a large empty gold vat lay on its side between a pair of juniper bushes. I crawled into a space between the vat and a corner pillar.

“
I had a clear view of the garden. Genovene and her wicked companions had converged on the area. They’d pulled up the plants and then strewn the bones of the earthen people all over the lawn. I winced while watching Genovene shake the fragile form of Allyson, which nearly disintegrated in her claws. All that remained was a decayed skeleton and the terrible echo from the little girl’s shrieks.

“
Genovene laughed with delight and threw the bones on the grass. She crushed and ground them with her claws until a small pile of dust was all that remained. Sending a gust of her foul breath upon the pile, its particles scattered in every direction.

“‘
That’ll teach that daughter of a whore to mess with our kingdom!
’
she roared, her wretched tone delirious.
‘
Treat the rest of them just like this!!
”

“
The assault on the rest of the earthen people increased. Terrible cries filled the air, and I agonized again that I couldn’t save anyone but myself. Deeply saddened, I prepared to leave my latest hideout. I started to crawl backward when the vat moved. Only a fraction of an inch, to my horror it squeaked noticeably. I prayed no one noticed and pulled my legs up to my chest, closing my eyes as I tried to remain as still as possible. But soon footsteps and excited whispers from Genovene and her kin approached.

“
The vat lifted up, I opened my eyes, expecting the worst. They all hovered around me. Just like Allyson warned, I was a goner for sure. Genovene seemed especially pleased, bending down toward me. Nauseated from her stench and repulsiveness, I feared she and the others might eat me right there. Maybe they would’ve, if not for the marketplace’s roof caving in. Debris fell upon us all. The nefarious ensemble backed up to avoid being hit, and I realized it could be the last opportunity I’d ever get.

“
I scrambled to my feet while marble pillars collapsed amid gold shingles falling to the ground. A dust cloud rose around us. I ran as hard and as fast as I ever had in my life, racing past the crumbling structure and toward the entrance without even checking to see who came after me.

“‘
Stop him, damn it!!!
’
Genovene shrieked.
‘
You useless imbeciles!! Stop him NOW!!!
’

“
Morylan was on his knees and in the process of standing back up. I headed for the gold lion’s head, protruding from the crystal wall on the right side of the village entrance. I glanced over my shoulder, shocked to discover the giant sentinel inadvertently came to my rescue a moment ago. He’d just lifted his enormous hand up from the marketplace’s roof, flicking his fingers free of marble shards.

“
Meanwhile, a bigger, angry mob pursued me, rapidly gaining ground. To make matters worse, Morylan now lifted his left foot off the ground as he prepared to turn around, and the wind from this simple maneuver blew me off course. I nearly fell. With everyone else gaining on me, I pulled the oval stone from my shorts’ pocket. Almost to the lion’s head, I lunged forward with my arms stretched out in front of me. I held the stone in my left hand with my palm thrust outward in order to feed it directly into the lion’s mouth.

“
The dark shadow from the immense foot descended on me, thickening with its imminent arrival. Like the terrible slowness in a dream, I watched myself approach the lion’s head at a snail’s pace, even though I ran full speed. The foot just above me, I leapt with both arms outstretched in front of me like a diving outfielder making a last-ditch effort for an errant fly ball. In one swift graceful move that completely surprised me, I angled my body in midair and spread my arms apart. I deposited the stone inside the lion’s mouth. Avoiding a direct collision with the crystal wall, I still landed hard on my ass, while the giant’s foot slammed down a mere six inches away.

“
The force from that footstep pushed me face up against the wall. And then a much worse rumbling filled the area. The wall itself trembled.

“
Morylan and the villagers ignored me, focused on the growing disturbance that threatened to overwhelm the village. The magnificent golden gates groaned open, and the splendid buildings and crystal wall began to crack and crumble. The villagers all scattered in a screeching panic, like beetles whose nest had just been exposed to daylight. The golden road rose and then buckled from the earth’s upheaval.

“
I stood up, only to find Genovene and her loathsome brood looming above me, blocking the sun’s light. Just when I thought I might’ve seen the last of her, she found me again. But before she and the others could finally get their claws on me, the very ground the monsters stood upon gave way, sending each one sprawling and screaming into a large sinkhole.

“‘
God damn you, Jack!
’
she
cursed me.
‘
God damn you and everything you love to HELL!! Do you hear me
??
TO HELL!!!
’

“
Perhaps foolishly, I edged up to the sinkhole’s rim and peered down into the earth. Bare roots of a large magnolia swayed back and forth near the spot Genovene had been a moment ago, along with several gold cobblestones and a few crumbling dirt clods. I started to feel dizzy from the sheer depth of the hole and pulled myself back, though I couldn’t help but smile. Finally gone! That goddamned bitch and her wicked cronies were
really gone
!

“
All I had to deal with now was Morylan and a handful of villagers. They still ignored me, preoccupied by the deepening fissures that stretched across the sides of the buildings and along the entire length of the crystal wall for as far as my eyes could see. I noticed a bright swirling mist of rainbow-like colors hovering just inside the gates, now fully open.

“
The mist swirled faster and faster, lengthening and twisting until it looked like a cyclone about the same height as the gates themselves. A high-pitched whistle filled the air. Morylan seemed mesmerized by the strange mist, and I felt safe enough to venture a closer look. Then I heard more adulation, like what happened in the garden earlier.