The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty (36 page)

Well, I guess I’m set. We’ll see how things go tomorrow.

Meet Your God

Bernie waited until he got home to make first contact. He didn’t want any interruptions. Sitting in his room, he realized he was procrastinating. Frankly, he was nervous.

He had never talked to one of his creations before. In school, they had strict rules against any kind of communication with them. And Bernie obeyed rules. Even though the rule hadn’t made sense, he wasn’t about to lose his chance to become a builder by disobeying. Now he would taste that forbidden fruit.

As Bernie slipped into his universe, he moved his time lever ahead by two days. He felt silly doing it, but if he made a bad impression and messed everything up, he wanted the option to roll back time and try it over again.

He went to the capital city, where he had last seen Alcandor. He dimmed his shimmer as much as he could. Lenny said some life forms could see shimmers even if the god hadn’t taken corporeal form, which probably explained why Alcandor had seen him at the bonfire. This time he would not be seen until he was ready.

Bernie found Alcandor in his building, in a room filled with hundreds of books. He was seated behind a carved wooden desk, writing rapidly with a brass-tipped pen that he periodically dipped into a nearby inkwell.

Bernie looked at the height of the ceiling. If he made himself three times Alcandor’s height, he would not be able to stand up inside the building. He could sit on the floor in front of Alcandor’s desk, but how dignified was that?

Bernie compromised and sat cross-legged while hovering three feet off the floor. Then he allowed himself a corporeal presence. He remembered the long hair and beard at the last second and quickly put them in place. Then, he allowed his shimmer to come up to a soft golden color. Perfect. He was ready.

Alcandor was so preoccupied with his writing, he didn’t lift his head. Minutes passed. It was Bernie who blinked first.

“Ahem…” Bernie said.

Alcandor looked up. His whole body jerked, and his eyes grew wide with shock. His mouth moved, but no words came out. He closed his eyes and composed himself. When he opened them again he had the confident look of the man Bernie had seen on the Temple top as the bonfire burned away.

“Great Protector, you have come at last. I… I thank you,” Alcandor said.

“Tell me, Alcandor, why have you called out to me?” Bernie said in a deep bass voice that filled the library. Bernie was proud of the reverberating echo accompanying his voice. It was his idea to add that little touch. It made him sound like an elder god.

“Our world is in trouble, Great Protector. Terrible things have been happening. We cannot withstand much more. We beg to know of anything we may have done to deserve this. And we beg for your continued assistance.”

Only the smallest tremor in Alcandor’s voice betrayed the emotional turmoil inside the man as he addressed the god who hovered before him. Bernie tried to imagine what he must be feeling as he faced a being more powerful than anything he could possibly imagine. Somehow, he had deduced Bernie’s existence and called out to him. How had he known?

“Tell me, Alcandor. How is it you know of me?”

“I didn’t know for sure. But when I looked at the things happening to us, I realized they could have been much worse. Something kept saving us. For some things, it might have been luck, but over time, it became clear our world was being protected by a great power. That is why I knew you had to exist.”

Bernie thought back over the last few days, which could have been weeks or even months here, on the planet. He cringed internally when he thought of what they must have gone through. Billy had caused tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires, and more. Bernie realized even some things he had done might be on Alcandor’s list of disasters.

“Please, Great Protector, can you tell us why these things are happening to us?”

Bernie thought for a moment. Well, he certainly couldn’t tell him these problems are because a god named Billy had a grudge against him from back in school. That would definitely be too much information.

“An evil force has discovered your world, Alcandor. And this evil force seeks to do great harm.”

“What have we done to bring this evil force down upon us?”

“This evil is not here because of anything you or your people have done. It has reasons of its own you would not understand.”

“Great Protector, I have so many questions. There are many things we need to know. Are you here to help us? Is there anything we can do? Why is—”

“Your questions will have to wait, Alcandor. For now, I will tell you this. I do not want the evil force to harm your world in any way. And I will do what I can to undo any evil I discover. Let this promise be enough for now. We will talk again,” Bernie said, as his image began to fade.

“Thank you, Great Protector. Thank you.” Alcandor sank to his knees, just as he did at the beginning and the end of every day when it came time to thank the Sun for His gifts of light and warmth.

A World to Save a World

Bernie told Suzie and Lenny about his first contact with Alcandor. Lenny was impressed, and Suzie was proud.

“That’s really great, Bernie. A textbook encounter. You impress them, answer a few questions, and then leave them wanting more. Perfect in every way,” Lenny said.

“And I liked what you did hovering above the floor,” Suzie added.

“But it makes everything more complicated,” said Bernie, who’d had time to think about it.

“How so?” Lenny asked.

“Well, for one, how am I supposed to keep working on my universe when I have to work around an existing life form? They have a complete civilization there. What am I going to do with them? I mean, they don’t look like they would hurt my Pod People, but it cuts into my creative options.”

Lenny rolled his eyes. “Bernie, just get rid of them! You’ve got to keep your priorities straight. You need to build a universe so you can keep your job. If these guys interfere with that, then they have to go!”

Bernie didn’t have to say anything to make it clear that was not an option for him. His shimmer flickered with disapproving colors. Lenny just snorted.

Suzie said, “Maybe you can move them someplace else. Why don’t you make another planet for them or move them to a different universe?

“I suppose I could try that,” said Bernie, as he felt yet another load fall on his shoulders.

“It doesn’t work that way,” said Lenny. “You can’t just move a world into a different universe. It’s way too big. Although, you might be able to find a portal to let you move between two universes. I heard about them at an OWT meeting once. Portals aren’t very big, but if you can get everyone to walk single-file through the portal to the second world, it might work.”

“That’s a great idea, Lenny,” said Bernie. “I’ll make another universe for them. I have all my notes, so I can make it really close to what they have now. And Billy won’t ever know about it.”

“Okay. Then I’ll see if I can find us a trans-universe portal somewhere,” Lenny said.

* * *

In the quiet of his cubicle, Bernie placed an empty frame on his desk. Capturing a void didn’t always happen quickly, but this time, Bernie got lucky. He found his slippery fish and attached the void to the frame. He had never been able to do it this quickly before. He told himself it was because he was getting better all the time, and even imagined he used less putty than usual to hold the window in place.

As the putty dried, he examined the new universe. It was pure emptiness in every direction. Hovering in the very center, he began to visualize a sun. He would use no prefabs this time. He worked faster and with more confidence than ever before. When he finished, he saw a beautiful yellow sun equal to any prefab he could have requisitioned from the Supply Department. Next, he created his life planet and gave it the same yellow moon Suzie liked so much. Next, he added two more planets, to keep Lenny’s astrological forces content.

Only now did he pause, amazed at how much he’d accomplished. He couldn’t help but think of Beatrice, who’d told him so many times to
Plan First, Then Create
. Having a plan probably was the reason Wanda made things look so easy. He promised himself again for the umpteenth time he would spend more time on the planning side of things.

During this pause, he thought of the people on the planet who were going to lose the only home they’d ever known. The planet might look the same from far out in space, but the people moving there would see a world with none of the unique characteristics that marked their own. As he thought on this, he decided to do more.

He would make this world the same in every way.

* * *

Over four days, Bernie made many trips between his two universes. He recreated feature after feature, including Billy’s meteor craters, volcanic islands, stacked-up continental plates, and even the ring around the world he created to stop the tsunami. Every detail was as perfect as he could make it. He had kept good notes, and they served him well.

When he finished, he had a near-perfect duplicate of his original world. Only two differences. The new planet had no buildings. And, of course, the gaia on the new planet would not be born for millions of years. Otherwise, the lush green land and the plant-filled oceans were identical.

The only thing needed now was Lenny’s portal. Then Alcandor could lead his people to the Promised Land.

You Want Us To Go Where?

Bernie found Alcandor working in his library. This time, when he materialized, Alcandor seemed to have been expecting him.

“Great Protector, thank you for returning.” Alcandor lowered his gaze as he waited for the Protector to speak.

“Alcandor, I have considered the evil that has invaded your world, and I have considered my promise to do what I can to keep you safe. There is one thing I can do.”

“Please tell me.”

“I can move you and your people to another world—a world hidden from the evil force. You will be safe there.”

Alcandor stood for a long time. Finally, his voice quivering, he spoke. “You can do such a thing?”

“Yes. I have already created the world. You will cross from this world to the new one through a special portal, which will be ready soon.”

Alcandor gasped. “You created a world? A whole world? How is this possible?”

“Well, it’s not really that hard. Your system is pretty simple. I just had to make a sun, three planets, and a moon. It was—” Bernie stopped when he saw Alcandor lost in thought. Then he realized he’d been careless. This was not the time to impress the locals with his creative powers. That would just confuse them.

“When can you and your people be ready to go?”

When Alcandor finally replied, it wasn’t an answer to Bernie’s question. Instead, he asked in a hushed voice, “You made a Sun? Truly, you made a Sun? You can do such a thing?”

Bernie wasn’t sure how to get the conversation back on topic. Somewhat exasperated, he said, “Alcandor, stay with me here. When can you and your people be ready to go?” Bernie’s shimmer flared a bit, and red flecks could be seen in the gold glow.

“I can’t make that decision. For something like that, the Senate and the Temple will both have to agree. We’ll have to talk with them.”

“Then make this happen, and quickly.”

“Great Protector, you ask the impossible. I’m the only one who has ever seen you. If I make such a request, no one will believe me. I need your help to convince them. We must talk to the Senate and the Temple together. Once they are convinced, they can convince the people.”

“I have important things I must do and little time left. This is not an easy thing you ask of me,” said the god.

“I’m sorry, but I see no other way.”

“Tell me about these others,” said Bernie. “Who are they? What must I know of them?”

Alcandor paused to collect his thoughts. “The Temple is led by Speaker Zardok. He’s a selfless man who dedicated his life to bringing all of us closer to the Sun. His devotion to the Sun is second to none. And when he speaks, the people listen. For several reasons, he and I do not get along well.”

“What is the reason for this discord?”

“In our land, Zardok is well-respected, and he speaks for the Sun and the Temple. I’ve developed a modest reputation as a seeker of knowledge. There are times my knowledge is at odds with the dogma and tenants of the Temple. I think such debate brings us wisdom and more knowledge, but Zardok believes it undermines the people’s faith in our Sun.”

“I see. Is there anything else?”

“Yes. But it’s personal.”

“I would hear it and judge for myself.”

“Very well. Many years ago, we were in love with the same woman. Her name was Vianna, a free spirit who charmed everyone with her intelligence and her beauty. She loved the Sun, as we all do. Almost as much, she loved the pursuit of knowledge and the thrill of discovery. Zardok and I both fell in love with her. Zardok loved her for her devotion to the Sun. I loved her thirst for knowledge. We each sought her hand. Finally, she chose Zardok. In truth, he’s an honorable man, and she made her choice freely.

“I had proposed a great expedition to seek knowledge of our Sun. The Senate approved the expedition but would not let me lead it. Instead, they chose Vianna. The expedition was lost. No one ever returned. Zardok was heart-broken, and he’s never forgiven me for my hand in it.” Alcandor’s voice trailed off as he added, “Nor have I ever forgiven myself…”

“I understand,” said Bernie. Unsure of what to do with the feelings he had exposed, he merely said, “Thank you for telling me.”

Bernie waited a few more seconds and then said, “What can you tell me about the Senate?”

“The Senate is made up of 500 elected representatives, called senators, from all over the country. They come here, to represent the interests of their district. The Senate elects a leader, who then appoints twelve ministers to perform the various tasks of governing. The Senate is led by Lord Gondal, an able leader who has held the position a long time. And, of course, any lord or lady who wants to attend has the right to vote with the senators.”