"And what is it we do after Trevor Stone?"
Jon sighed. "I think…I think we’re going to have to listen to people like Evan Godfrey. What almost happened today, it could have been a civil war. Next time we can’t let it get out of control like that."
– The fire crackled and its radius of light illuminated the dry stream bed in the middle of the forest. While Trevor figured that the flames were some kind of illusion, the heat they threw felt real, even if that heat was not needed on such a nice, early spring night.
"Sounds like you had yourself a hoot of a time, Trev."
Stone gaped at the mystical Old Man. "That’s it? I tell you I know about the parallel universes, I know about Earth as an arena, I can name the other players in this little game, and I figure Voggoth is even more important than I ever thought before. And that’s all you can say?"
Trevor gasped in frustration.
The Old Man said, "Oh, calm down and enjoy the fire. Don’t go spoilin’ it for me. You don’t come to see me as often as you used to, so let’s try an’ keep this pleasant."
Trevor thought about that while the flames danced and cast shadows over the white wolf that lay next to the fire and Tyr who curled at his Master’s feet.
Suddenly Stone chuckled. Not a happy chuckle. Not at all.
"What’s that ticklin’ your belly?"
Trevor controlled his laugh and answered, "You were right, you know? Way back when…when we first met… you told me you were going to be the closest thing to a friend I was ever going to have. Well look around. You’re it."
He gazed across the fire at his benefactor. The Old Man watched him closely. In those eyes there was something. What was it? Pity?
Trevor stood and changed the subject. "So, what was it you and your buddies did? Huh? How’d you pick Earth to be the spot? Let me guess, you took a look down and saw this nice planet that could support all of the eight races. Ooops, look, there’s dinosaurs and shit like that crawling around down there. So then what? You toss an asteroid at Earth then wait a few million years until things cool down then drop human DNA into the mix down here? Or Chaktaw? Or Hivvan? Tell me, are you really a God or do you just try to play like one?"
The Old Man tilted his head.
"You just tryin’ like crazy to piss me off, that it Trev? Saints alive, you just don’t want any friends no more."
"You’re never going to tell me anything, are you?"
"I told you a heap more than I was ever suppose too."
Trevor wagged a finger at the man. "Yeah, but I keep catching you in lies, old timer. The K9s, they weren’t a gift from you, they were built into my genes. Something more powerful than you put them there. That’s my bet."
The Old Man chuckled.
Trevor went on. "Then you told me I was going to break the rules. But it wasn’t me, was it? I didn’t break the rules."
The Old Man stopped laughing.
"The runes weren’t there when I got to the Ring of Ice. Oh, I knew where to look because you told me. But they weren’t there. No harm, no foul, right? Then they come crashing right up out of the ice. That was you, wasn’t it? So first you break the rules by telling me about the runes on my Earth so I know where to look over there, then you break them again by making sure they pop up when I get there."
The Old Man sat silent. The sound of the fire played evenly in the background.
Trevor said sincerely, "Thank you."
The Old Man blinked once, then twice, and then looked at his protege. "Oh, now stop that, Trev. You really do have a-what do they call it? — yeah, an in-maj-i-nay-shun. Hehe."
Stone shook his head. The more he learned the tighter lipped his benefactor became. Trevor decided he did not want to spar anymore. He took a few steps along the streambed. The trees there thinned and allowed a view of the stars. He gazed toward the sky and squinted.
"Oh, it’s up there," the Old Man called. "Just look toward Orion’s belt, then over to the left of it."
Trevor saw a brilliant, blue-white star beckoning in the night sky.
"I…I can see it." He felt goose bumps on his arms. "It’s beautiful."
"That it is, Trevor. That it is. Say, if you ever get a mind for it, you may wanna head on down to your local library and go looking up a group called ‘The Dogon’."
"The Dogon?"
"Yep. That’s what I said, wasn’t it? Seems there’s this group in western Africa that goes waaayy back. Yessir. They came from Egypt originally. You know, some folks think civilization started in Egypt. Anyway, well, they got themselves a real funny idea, see? They have this-what would you call it? — I guess a legend or whatnot. It’s all about how man came to Earth from this pretty place far away."
"Sirius," Trevor deduced.
"Yeah! That’s it. Any-who, you’d probably just love reading ‘bout these guys. They’re a hoot. They got all sorts of funny thinking going on. Yeah, stuff about DNA and cutting up somebody’s body and scattering it across the universe. Oh yeah, a real hoot."
"A real…a real hoot…"
"Why, they knew about Sirius B-that’s the second sun there-before astronomers did and, geez, they told everyone there’s a Sirius C and ain’t no astronomer found that yet.”
Birds chirped in the woods, a gentle breeze blew through.
"Yeah, them Dogons, real crazy. You know, no one could quite figure out why them Dogons had a calendar that worked out to being a fifty-year calendar. Fifty years! Don’t that just take the pie? Anyways, turns out that them fifty years is how often it takes for Sirius B to pass real close to Sirius A. Ain’t that something?"
Trevor remembered his conversation about Sirius with Major Forest.
"Every fifty years, magnetic storms."
The Old Man asked, "You going to be heading back now?"
Trevor considered. Heading back to what?
"I thought, I mean, if you don’t mind, I thought I’d stay out here for a bit. Do you mind?"
He turned and looked to the Old Man through hopeful eyes.
"Naw. You can stay out here for a spell, Trev. You got things to do, but nothing that can’t wait ‘till the rooster crows."
Trevor returned his gaze to the heavens. Toward Sirius.
"So, would you like me to tell you about it? You wanna hear about Sirius? I think I could drop a few descriptions without causin’ the universes to go tumblin’ over."
Trevor swung his head around. "Yeah. I mean, sure. Yes. You can do that?"
"Oh, I don’t see no harm telling you about the giant waterfalls and the pure white trees on the sandstone mountains. Hehe. They got a wildflower that has petals that feel like glass, ‘cept they change colors with the seasons. Yeah, really purdy. Real…a real beauty."
Trevor told him, "I’d like that. I’d like to hear about it."
"Then pull up a seat by the fire an let’s pass a few hours."
Before Trevor sat, he took another look above at the beautiful glowing ball named Sirius. He knew that for the rest of his life he would look toward the sky.
Look toward the sky…and remember.