Angel Fall (16 page)

Slowly the forehead of the giant ascended in front of him. Alex was like an ant staring at a mountain. And then its eyes came level with his.

He had never seen such eyes. In them were grandeur and purpose, rage and disdain, arrogance and hate. Yet how lovely they were, the colors of Heaven streaked with the shadings of hell. Alex knew that he could look into those eyes forever, for this was his god, Lammortan, Painter of the Universe.

And the eyes were crying.

From them flowed tears of blood.

As he stared, transfixed, a voice whispered, “Child of the Wind…
look
…”

He had no choice but to obey. His eyes were made to stare downward. The body of the giant seemed to go on forever and through its crystal flesh, he could see organs surging with blood the color of rainbows. But the creature couldn’t move. It was bound hand and foot with mighty chains of crimson, and horrifying wounds covered its flesh. From them flowed blood in steaming rivers that fell away into the abyss.

Then the voice whispered again.
“Now, I will teach you all that you must know.”

F
rom the moment she entered the darkness, the experience hadn’t been horrible at all. For something to be horrible, you had to “feel,” and all “feeling” had ended. There had been a flash of coldness when her body reached the glass, but after that Tori had found herself in a swirling, dreamy place, drifting on a soft wind through a universe without stars. The voice—her mother’s voice—had vanished. As she drifted, her memories seemed to jumble together and fade into gray fuzziness. It occurred to her that in a little while even her name might fuzz away and she would go on forever not even knowing who she was. The thought was vaguely disturbing, so she decided to make herself remember who she was. Over and over she repeated, “I’m Tori. That’s my name. T-o-r-i.
Tori
…” But after a few minutes she couldn’t remember why remembering it was so important. Then she couldn’t remember what it was that she was trying to remember, so she stopped. The fog in her mind whispered that the only important thing was to sleep. The idea was so nice that she closed her eyes.

But then she opened them again.

A very unusual sensation was prickling inside her. At first it was mildly irritating and she tried to ignore it. Then it got worse. Slowly it began to feel as though she were seeping out of herself, as if the thing that made her who she was had begun to congeal in a mist just outside her skin. It didn’t hurt, but a weirdness about it kept her awake. The strangest moment of all came when she heard a popping sound and could see her body as though she had split in two. After the “pop” her mind became clear. She remembered everything.

So there she was.

Tori staring at Tori.

Twins tumbling through the universe facing each other.

And the Tori in front of her wasn’t looking so good. Her clothes were rumpled as if she had slept in them all night and her hair was a terrible mess. If only she had a brush. Then she started laughing. What was she going to do, float through the universe brushing her own hair? Suddenly she understood the silliness of it all. How worried she had always been about looking perfect, wearing just the right clothes, saying just the right things, because if she didn’t, no one would like her. But all of that was about the “outside Tori,” and it was the girl inside that really mattered, because when you came unstuck from yourself, whatever was living under your skin would go on forever.

As Tori watched, her “twin” began drifting away. She waved to her, but the twin didn’t wave back, which wasn’t very friendly considering all the time they had spent together. After a few moments she was gone.

Alone in the universe once more.

But at least her brain wasn’t fuzzy and she didn’t want to sleep. However, she did hope something would happen, because floating this way could get
really
boring. It was then that everything got even crazier. Drifting in
nothing
as she was, out of the corner of her eye she saw
something
pull up beside her. Where it came from she couldn’t tell, but rolling along in the emptiness was an ancient Cadillac limousine, faded-red with blue-tinted windows. Hunkered behind the wheel was the same funny driver who had taken them to the airport. The old man smiled and waved in the friendliest manner. His window was down so it was easy for them to talk.

“Well, howdy do there. How’re you today?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Tori didn’t even try to make sense of it. She was just glad to have some company.

“Just out for a little swim I see. Nice day for it too, even if the water
is
a little murky.”

Swimming. What an interesting idea. She began to paddle with her arms and legs.

“Tell you what. Don’t normally pick up hitchhikers, but in your case I’m gonna bend my rules. Think you might need a ride? How ’bout that?”

“Okay.” She smiled happily.

“Good. Now, just kinda wiggle your arms like you’re doin’, an’ swim over to the other side of ol’ Jezebel and climb in the window.”

Tori found that by turning her body and “swimming” it was possible to make her way over the roof of the Cadillac. Then, upside down, she pulled herself into the front seat. The old man laughed as she settled onto the cracked leather.

“Well, that’s better now, ain’t it?”

“This is
so
freaky.”

“In a manner o’ speakin’ I ’spose you could say so. ’Course, it depends on what you call freaky. Ain’t nothin’ freakier to me than bein’ on the Dan Ryan Expressway headin’ into Chicago durin’ rush hour.
Whewee
. Some o’ the stuff I seen. Now that’s what
I
call freaky. This here’s just horseplay compared to that. Anyway, you better buckle your seatbelt. We gotta make a quick turn up ahead, and it might get a little bumpy.”

It was more than a little bumpy. Suddenly Tori heard a shrieking sound as though the entire car was being torn to pieces. It was exactly like a movie she had seen of a spacecraft reentering Earth’s atmosphere. The metal of the hood began to glow fiery red, then the limousine started flipping end over end. Finally there was a terrifying explosion. Tori looked out the window and saw that they were no longer in empty space. The Cadillac was driving along as smoothly as you please through a universe with a billion stars. Spread out in front of her were lovely wisps of galaxies and multicolored clouds of nebula. And the hood was cooling down.

“Totally freaky.”

“And derned hard on the paint job too. I keep them cheapo paint places in business. Don’t take too many reentry numbers to sandblast your door panels right down to the bone.”

“Is this a space ship?” The hood was almost back to normal, but it did seem to be a shade or two lighter.

“You kiddin’? Wouldn’t drive one o’ them claptraps for the world. Terrible gas mileage. Cadillacs is cheaper and just about as strong too. Tried one o’ them compact jobs once. You shoulda seen it after reentry. Nothin’ left but a seat cover an’ a steerin’ wheel. Nope. Nothin’s as good as ol’ Jezebel.”

“But we’re in space. If this isn’t a space ship, how do we breathe?”

“Hmmm, now that’s a very interestin’ question.” The old man scratched his head. “Have to get back to you on that one.”

“Are we in the Milky Way?”

“No, ma’am. Hold on a sec.” He fumbled with a pile of maps stuck under the seat until he found the one he wanted.

“Milky Way. Let’s see, that’s B-20–601238549. There it is. That’s in Universe Belda. This here’s Zelda. Whole lot prettier, don’t you think?”

“If you say so.”

Wherever they were, it
was
beautiful. The Cadillac was leaving the edge of a blue-green cloud of star mist and driving into an empty region toward the tail of a slow-moving comet. For a little while Tori was silent. When she spoke again it was in a small voice.

“What happened to me back there? I was in a house, then I floated into a picture frame…” Her voice trailed off. Strange thoughts and memories were pushing their way into her mind. Suddenly she turned toward the old man as though seeing him for the first time.

“Who are you? Cars don’t drive in space.”

He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. “An’ I don’t normally neither myself, honey. I just make deliveries once in awhile off the beaten path you might say. An’ you’re right. We ain’t been properly introduced. You can call me Mr. Hydrogen.”

“Mister
what?
”

“Hydrogen. Got a nice ring to it, don’t it? Saw it just the other day an’ I thought, you know, that’d make a great name for me…Hydrogen. It was on a bottle in a drug store. ‘Hydrogen peroxide.’ Course I only took the first part. Never did like them fancy pantsy hypheneutered kinda names.”

“But it’s not your
real
name.”

“It’ll do.” He looked at her. “You couldn’t pronounce my real name anyway.”

Suddenly Tori’s attention was drawn to the front. The car was rapidly approaching a strange object hanging in space, a gray rock the size of a mountain. She had seen something like it once in a video at school. “I know what that is. It’s an asteroid.”

“Home sweet home.”

“You
live
there?”

“I know it’s a humble place. Never make it into one o’ your highfalutin’ House an’ Vegetable magazines, but it’s cozy enough for me.”

As the Cadillac flew nearer, Tori saw that carved into one side of the boulder was the face of a gigantic clock. It had hundreds of hands of different sizes and was marked off into millions of hours instead of just twelve.

“Why is there a clock on it?”

“To tell what time it really is instead of what people want it to be.”

Every moment the clock was getting bigger. The Cadillac flew on until only a little piece of it was visible because it was so close. In fact, it began to look as if they were going to crash into it.

“Don’t you think you’d better stop?”

“Just give a minute here. We’ll be fine.” The old man picked up a rusted metal box from the floor and pushed a button. Nothing happened. “Drat!” He pushed it again. Still nothing. “Drat, drat, drat!”

They were getting dangerously close. Rummaging under the seat, he found an ancient oilcan. After dousing the rusty metal with generous squirts, he banged the box on the steering wheel.

“We’re gonna crash!”
Tori closed her eyes.

Once more he jammed the button. At the last possible moment a section of rock slid open and they flew inside.

“Sorry ’bout that. Been tryin’ to get a new garage door opener. But last time I checked, they were out of ’em at the Home and Doohickey Depot.”

The limousine had pulled to a stop inside a massive cavern at least a mile long and hundreds of feet high. Far above were the intricate workings of the huge clock. But beneath it the cavern appeared to be a storage chamber. Every inch of space on the walls was covered with little clocks, millions and millions of them in every imaginable size, shape, and color. Hundreds of steel ladders led up to a maze of crisscrossing catwalks where there were more clocks. It was like a vast warehouse in space for the greatest clockmaker in the universe. The old man opened the door and got out. Tori was right behind him. She stared in wonder. The whole room was filled with ticking, clicking, and bonging.

“Why are there so many clocks? All of them in the world must be here.”

“Oh, there’s more’n that. Lots, lots more.”

“But why?”

“Well, these aren’t your regular clocks.” He began leading her through the cavern. “They keep a special kinda time.”

Tori noticed that the nearest clocks weren’t keeping time at all. They weren’t even running. And they looked very old. The ticking clocks were still ahead.

“How come these are stopped?”

“’Cause the people stopped.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a clock in here for every person who ever lived or ever will. And as long as their body keeps chuggin’, it keeps tickin’.” They entered a section of ticking clocks, but even as they walked, Tori heard gentle chimes and saw that many were coming to a stop.

“You mean, when they don’t tick anymore, the person is dead?”

“That’s what some people call it.”

“Can’t you wind them up again?”

“Nope. Spring’s only good for one lifetime.”

For a while they walked along in silence with Tori looking at the clocks. Suddenly, ahead, she saw a different section. In it, none of the clocks were operating, but they looked brand new.

“What are those?”

“Those are for little ones that aren’t born yet.”

But even as he spoke, thousands of them began ticking merrily.

“Hear that? I like this part best of all. Nothin’ like the sound of a new clock when it’s just gettin’ started.”

Tori stopped and looked back down the cavern. Being in this place filled her with awe. It was as though she could see life moving in a wave that had started long ago and was just now reaching to where she stood, a wave of time in a cavern of clocks. She turned and looked ahead. Far in the distance there was an end to the cavern where there were no clocks at all.

“What’s that up there, that empty place?”

“Oh, that’s where there isn’t any time anymore.”

“No time?”

Just then a little blue grandmother clock nearby started to chime gently. Then it was silent.

“That one just stopped. It’s so pretty.”

The old man stood looking at it with her. “Ol’ Grandma Watson. Been tickin’ away almost a hundred years. Wonderful lady. Did nice things for lotsa people. But her spring finally just wore out.”

“Can’t you fix it and make it run a little longer?”

“Nope. I’m not the clockmaker. I just tidy up the place.”

“Could I see mine?” Mr. Hydrogen nodded and led her to an out-of-the-way corner. There, sitting on a tiny shelf, was a pink and yellow clock covered with blue flowers.

“Oh, I love it. But…it’s stopped.”

“Only for awhile. You see? It’s got a lot o’ time left on it. Lots an’ lots of time.”

“Does it mean I’m…half dead or something? Are you sure it will go again?”

“For you, there’s special instructions. Happens once in a great while.”

“You can make people stop living…and then live again?” Tori felt a twinge of fear. The old man saw it and took her hand.

“Not all by myself, honey. I’m just the caretaker. An’ you know that big clock outside? That one’s for me. Even the time spirit don’t go on forever.”

“That’s who you are?”

“Yep. An speakin’ of time, there isn’t much left for our little visit. We pulled a snaffle on ’em an’ we gotta stay on our toes.”

“What’s a snaffle?”

“A trick. Ol’ Paint Buckets thinks he’s got you like all the rest. But we fooled him.”

“Fooled who?”

“The nasty one who pulled you into that frame. Have we got a
surpriiise
to stick in his canvas!”

Tori shivered. Suddenly she was remembering the singing darkness that had taken her away.

“He thinks he’s so high an’ mighty. Thinks he kin steal time, an’ I been lettin’ him do it. But things are changin’, you just wait. Now, come out to my observatory. We gotta parlay.”

Walking fast, the old man led Tori through a doorway tucked in the shelves, and they stepped into a glass bubble. The view was breathtaking. It was like standing in the middle of the stars, floating in sparkles and darkness. But then something far away caught her eye.