“Are you expecting me to do something?” I ask, as the music gets louder. “Listen, you’re going to have to have to be more—”
Before I can finish, I hear a rushing sound over my shoulder. Turning, I’m shocked to see several swarms of black teeth rushing toward us.
“My friend,” I say cautiously, “I think we might be about to get—”
Suddenly the creature slams into me, breaking into thousands of sharp little teeth, and I’m lifted up into the air. Crying out, I try to spin around, but already I’ve been carried high into the auburn sky, and when I look over my shoulder I see that the other swarms are racing after us. I open my mouth to ask what’s happening, but at that moment the swarm spins me around and sends me cartwheeling through the sky as if we’re trying to lose our pursuers.
Looking down, I see the vast purple sea far below, and then we race across a patch of land and I spot what seems to be a gleaming domed city. I crane my neck, trying to get a better look, but then the swarm around me changes direction again and we’re dive hard, swooping into a deep valley and then racing between several huge boulders. We dip close to the surface of a bright purple river, so close that I could reach out and run my hand through the water, and then we swoop around and when I look ahead I see that we’re heading straight toward a huge, rushing purple waterfall.
I wait for us to change direction, and then I shout a warning as we instead rush directly into the waterfall’s path. I’m instantly soaked, and a moment later I’m dropped clumsily against the rocky ground. Gasping and spluttering, I roll onto my side and start to get up, as the creature reforms just a few meters away.
I slip on the wet rocks, and then as I get back to my feet I look at the creature. In all the drama of the past few minutes, I rather lost track of which creature actually got ahold of me. For a moment I’m worried that one of the pursuers might have grabbed me, but then this creature steps forward and holds its right hand up again, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I realize that this is, indeed, my ‘friend’.
“Did we lose them?” I gasp, before looking toward the waterfall. It’s dark here in the cave, and the only light comes through the huge purple cascade.
I turn back to the creature just as it steps closer, and I realize that – over the roaring sound of crashing water – I can just about make out the sound of music once again emerging from the hand.
“Why are they chasing us?” I ask. “They really don’t like the fact that you brought me here, do they? But why did you bring me here? Why would you take such a huge risk?”
I hear a rushing sound nearby, and I half-expect to see more swarms rushing through the waterfall and coming to apprehend us. Instead, the sound passes high overhead, and it would seem that the search continues.
“Well,” I say after a moment, as I turn back to the creature, “I’m afraid I need to—”
Before I can finish, the creature slams its right hand into my own. There’s a bright flash of light and I feel a tremendous vibration bursting through my body, and for a moment my heart seems to stop. I let out a shocked gasp, and then I close my eyes as I feel myself fall back down against the wet rocks.
Thirty-Eight
When I open my eyes again, I find myself on a shore – again – next to a beach. Again. The sun has risen, so I suppose I must have been here all night. I blink, and then I manage to look up, and I see a steep grassy hill rising up high above. Beyond that, thick black smoke rises from what I assume must be the remains of Mr. Glass’s home.
Looking around, I squint as I try to spot some sign of the creature. I’m no longer in that strange world; I’m back home, that much is clear, and it would seem that the creature didn’t come with me. My heart is pounding, and I briefly think back to that moment behind the waterfall. I felt as if the creature actually pushed something into my body, although I know that the idea is absurd.
I start to get up, but instantly I’m held back by sharp, piercing pains all through my chest. It’s as if somebody has implanted razor blades all through my body, and I hear a series of jostling, scraping sounds. Slumping back down, with my back resting against a rock, I realize that my ribs seem to be broken. Next, I try to move my legs, but they fail to work, and when I look down I see that they’re both broken. My right leg is twisted almost ninety degrees at the knee, and a section of bloodied bone is poking out through the fabric of my trousers on my left leg.
Why am I not feeling more pain?
I should be screaming, I should be in absolute agony. Then again, perhaps deep down I know that there’s no point. Perhaps I’m being given one final moment of peace before the end.
“Damn it,” I mutter finally, as I realize that there’s no getting away from this spot.
I look to my left and see that the causeway is covered at present by the tide. Not that I could even drag myself in that direction anyway. Even in the old world, I’d be in a sticky position. As things stand, I doubt very much that I’m getting away from this rather unfortunate spot.
I close my eyes, and for a moment I feel perfectly calm. I wait, hoping that perhaps I shall hear a choir of angels waiting to welcome me into the afterlife, but all I hear is the sound of water lapping at the shore. Will I soon find myself walking up to the pearly gates? I would imagine that, if my name is on St. Peter’s list at all, there will at the very least be an asterisk. Perhaps the ground will then open up beneath me, and I shall tumble down into Hell. There, I shall be doomed to an eternity listening to modern jazz.
Suddenly I hear footsteps nearby, and when I open my eyes I see the young Joshua Glass Jr. walking this way along the beach. I blink several times, wondering whether this can be real, but as he gets closer I realize that it really is him. His clothes are torn and slightly blackened from flames, and there’s a cut on the side of his face, but overall he seems to have survived the explosion rather well. And in his right hand, he’s carrying the Frankenstein guitar that I’ve had ever since I left my apartment building all those years ago.
“Good morning,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m glad to see that you survived last night’s mayhem.”
He stops in front of me, and for a moment he looks me up and down.
“I know,” I continue, “I must look dreadful. Don’t tell me, please. If I don’t have my looks, then I really am ruined.”
I start to laugh, but my broken ribs quickly put paid to that.
“How about your father?” I ask after a few more seconds. “Did he too survive the explosions?”
The boy stares at me, and then he shakes his head.
“I see,” I continue. “My condolences. Then again, I think it would be fair to say that he only had himself to blame.” I pause for a moment. “Where are you going, anyway? Are you going to the mainland?”
He thinks about this for a few seconds, and then he nods.
“Good luck. You’ll need it. I have no idea what you’ll face out there, and I imagine you’ve led a somewhat sheltered life up to this point. You’ll need to have your wits about you.”
Another pause, and then he nods again.
“You’ll need to be brave,” I add.
He nods.
“You’ll need to be nice to people.”
Another nod.
“You’ll need to know who to trust, and who not to trust.”
He nods again, very easily this time.
“And as I said,” I continue, “you’ll need a lot of luck. A lot of luck.”
Another nod.
“Be careful of the causeway,” I explain. “You could drown if you cross at the wrong time, you must make sure that the—”
“I know how the causeway works,” he says suddenly, interrupting me.