King of the Dark Mountain (4 page)

*

Hez got to the area around Wind Gap after 2:00 a.m. He found a decent cheap hotel in Tannersville and collapsed into a dreamless sleep. He woke up around 10:00 the next morning, took a shower and headed on up to Wind Gap. He came to a Speedway station and went inside. He bought a cup of coffee and grabbed a local newspaper and took them out to the truck. He rifled through the paper, not knowing what he was looking for. It contained the usual small town newspaper items with stories geared to the local readership.

He was about to toss it aside when he noticed an unusual headline: “Strange lights seen in the sky over pipeline clearing on the AT.” He perused the article which described the reports of several locals, including the deputy mayor of seeing unusual pulsating colored lights on the trail. It had apparently been going on for the past several days. He turned back to the front page and saw that the paper had just come out that morning, so the sightings were recent. He googled directions to the AT on his laptop and located the site from the main web page.

He left the truck in the parking lot designated for the AT. In order to get to the spot described, he had to cross Hwy 512 and then pass under Hwy 33 to head south on the AT. He had to hike another three miles or so before he came to the spot described in the article. The trees were close to together and there wasn’t much to see until he came to the clearing. From there he could look out on a broad vista of the valley below.

He walked up and down the trail and back to the clearing. He hunkered down in front of it, a little ways off the trail and focused on breathing slowly and clearing his mind. A light wind picked up and blew his hair away from his brow. Soon a feeling of calmness overcame the underlying anxiety which had been there since the day before. “What is it, Ellie?” he asked, sinking down on the pile of dead leaves beneath him.

The wind picked up a little and the sun broke through the clouds. The sound of an airplane passing overhead made him open his eyes and look up. He couldn’t see it but the sound continued for a while. He closed his eyes again and focused on the warmth of the sunlight on his cheek.” I need a little help here,” he said in a kind of a prayer. He waited a few more minutes, then got up. He started back the way he had come, feeling a little foolish. 

“Hey mister,” a voice called from behind him. He turned around and saw there was a young man coming towards him. 

When he was close enough he said, “Yes?”

“I saw you up there sitting, my mom sits and she doesn’t like to be bothered when she’s doing it. So anyhow I thought you’d be awhile so I took some photos on up the trail and then I saw you were leaving so I wanted to catch you and to tell you something.”

“Sitting, oh you mean like in Zen right?” The kid nodded. Hez realized he was really not even a young man but a fairly young teenager. “So    ?”

“Anyway, it’s hard to explain, but Mom told me to come up on the AT and if I saw someone meditating I was supposed to tell them what we saw out here yesterday.”

Hez said, “Great kid, what did you see?”

“It’s going to sound really weird, and I’m not crazy or nothing and my mom’s not either.” He looked at Hez intently to make sure he believed him.

Hez gave him a very earnest expression, “Kid, believe me, whatever you tell me could not be any weirder than what drew me up here, so go ahead.”

“Anyway Mom and I come up here a lot. It’s usually at night because we’re trying to develop our night vision. It’s just something we do because we are developing unusual skills, just in case, you know?” The kid looked embarrassed.

“Yes I do,” Hez said seriously, “People are doing that these days.”

“Really?” the kid asked. Hez nodded, the kid went on, “Anyway, this time it was in the middle of the day. Mom said to look around really good so that when we came back at night we could use that information. It’s something about space and time awareness. I don’t really get it but anyhow we came almost to this spot, this clearing which we like and know pretty well, when we heard voices. My mom pulled me off the trail and we hid behind those bushes over there.” He brushed hair out of his eyes and motioned to the right.

“Anyways, we saw these two men. One of them had this thing in his hand; it was like a spinning ball. It floated above his hand for a second then the other guy told him to put it away that they’d found their target. Then this fat old guy came along with this girl holding onto him. She looked like she was drugged or something. Mom was going to call the police, but something told her to wait. Then this morning, while I was eating breakfast, she told me to hurry up here and if I saw a man meditating I should tell him what we saw yesterday.”

“Do you think you would recognize the woman again if you saw her picture?”

“Maybe, she was tall, but the man she was holding onto was even taller and kinda fat.” Hez pulled out the photo of Ellie from his jacket pocket and showed it to him. He had put it there on the way out the door on a hunch it might come in handy. The kid shook his head, “It could have been her, but her hair was longer.”

“Yeh this picture’s from last year and her hair is longer. Okay, well thank you very much.”

“Ethan, that’s my name.”

“And thank your Mom; this really is a lot of help.”

He nodded, “You’re welcome, Mister ..?”

“McCane,” Hez smiled and nodded.

“Well I got to get going,” the kid said and went on down the trail. Hez nodded and suppressed the urge to question him further. He watched until he disappeared down the trail. The kid had seemed shy and Hez got the feeling that he really didn’t know why his mother had sent him on such a strange errand. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. He wished he could talk to the mother, but it would waste a lot of time trying to get the kid to take him to meet with her. He needed to get back on the road.

He began walking back, pondering what the kid had told him. The description sounded like Ted, he was tall and heavyset. He hadn’t been sure in identifying Ellie from the photo, but of course it had to be her. The device the kid described sounded unbelievable, but something had helped Ted locate Ellie on the trail.

Ted was a little bit of the nutty professor, but he was also a respected scholar. Whatever this was about, it would ultimately be grounded in something that involved nuts and bolts and diagrams. And that was the problem as far as Hez was concerned. It seemed to him that taking a mechanical approach to matters of the soul was a trap. He had once read a book that claimed that Atlantis fell because of that type of research. He didn’t know if he believed in Atlantis, but he could believe that some terrible science gone wrong had destroyed a civilization. 

By the time he walked back to the parking lot, it was past noon. He chewed on some deer jerky he kept in the glove box and headed out to the interstate. He had a feeling that somewhere along the route he would begin to form a better picture of what he was dealing with. There was more to what the kid had told him than he had completely grasped. The long drive would give him the opportunity to ponder the whole matter further.

He kept thinking about the mother of the kid, wondering how she knew about his search. So many amazing things were happening; it was hard to get a handle on it all. It was related to what he had told the kid about a lot of people trying to develop some new talents. That was something he’d been noticing for some time. Just about everybody he talked to seemed to be involved in some little life experiments to test the waters of some new paradigm they were all experiencing. The word paradigm caused him to pause and reflect harder; it was a word important to Ellie now. It was what Ted and some others were calling the things they were able to do, the things they wanted her to help them do.

He shook his head trying to clear his mind and focus better. He got out his cell phone and brought up the little microphone on it and began to make some notes to himself. He would say a few words into the machine every once in a while for the next several hours on the road, trying to work out what the boy and especially the boy’s mother were communicating. If he thought of them he could almost picture them coming up on Ted and Ellie on the trail.

He knew the mother was doing her best with the boy, but she doubted her parenting skills. He wished he could reach out and reassure her that she was doing just fine and the boy was doing just fine. It would be a little repayment for her kindness in sending her son to find him and help him on his journey. He mumbled a little prayer for her. He didn’t much like praying, but sometimes it seemed like there was nothing else you could do for someone. “Just help her to know, Lord that the boy will be fine and bless her for sending him,” he mumbled and made a few more notes into the microphone.

Chapter Four

Ted was peering inside the large metallic refrigerator when Ellie came into the kitchen. Like all the rooms she had seen in the house, the ceiling was lofty but the rooms were not that large. It made it feel somewhat like a cathedral. There was a delicious smell wafting around the room, “What are you cooking? It smells wonderful.”

“Oh I don’t know, it was in a plastic container and I put it in a skillet with some olive oil. That’s Irena’s standard advice on how to prepare anything she leaves. Now if I could just find the parmesan cheese … oh here it is,” he turned around with a wedge shape in his hand. “I will grate it up to go on top, that’s also fairly standard for her dishes.”

“Sounds like you’ve got eating left overs down to a science.”

“Not left overs my dear, pre-made meals for a helpless husband who never learned to cook.”

“Well I really can’t wait to try it,” she said and sighed deeply. She was glad the two men weren’t around. She decided not to inquire about their whereabouts, speak of the devil, and all that.

“I meant to take cooking lessons, but never did get around to it. Go ahead and sit down at the counter there and I’ll get us some plates.” She was surprised when he brought out some paper plates and plastic utensils. “I know it probably offends the ecologically minded part of you, but I just don’t like fooling with dish washers and Irena’s precious china and all that stuff.” He pulled a couple of wine glasses from above her head. “I have some really good pinot noir, if you’re interested.”

“No just some water, thanks. I’m just starting to feel kind of normal again and I want to keep my head on straight,” He nodded and replaced one of the glasses with a big tumbler. He filled it with water from a jug and handed it to her. Then he ladled some of the Italian stew or whatever it was onto her plate. They ate in silence. She was so hungry she just wanted to focus on the taste and texture of the food in front of her.

“Isn’t it just the best?” Ted said after he had eaten his portion. He wiped his mouth and shook his head at the extraordinariness of his wife’s cooking. “Irena has many talents, but I think her most magnificent one is her skill in the kitchen.”

“It certainly isn’t my forte. Hez is a pretty good cook, though. I should get the recipe for this for him.”

“Oh I don’t think Irena uses recipes; at least I’ve never seen her refer to anything written down. Her mother taught her to do it from an early age, so she doesn’t need to look at recipes.”

“Well maybe she should write it all down for posterity or something.” Ted nodded, taking her very seriously. She smiled at him, “So how have you been these past several years?”

He moved his hand side to side, “This project has been absorbing a lot of my time and energy. It’s been rough going at times. ” He shook his head and pondered a moment, “I think it’s been tough on Irena as well.”

“I think I saw a recent picture of the two of you at some fundraiser or other. Irena was wearing a beautiful white silk dress. She looked radiant; she hasn’t changed at all,”

“You’re right about that; I know that dress you’re talking about, makes her look like a young Elizabeth Taylor doesn’t it? Imagine she is that gorgeous and a great cook.”

“You’re lucky Ted, what can I say?” Ellie said with a smile, “It seems like you’ve got everything.”

He nodded. “What about you Ellie?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he added, “I feel badly that we lost touch with each other. I know you and Irena don’t exactly mesh, but I hope that will change.”

She shrugged, “You know we’re so different. Can you imagine me a in a white silk dress?”

He nodded, “You would look very lovely, but it’s not your style. You’re more the young Kate Hepburn type. I don’t think I ever saw you in a dress.”

“No and you probably never will. Can’t abide the damnable things,” she said in her best impression of Hepburn. They both laughed.

Ted took a sip of the wine and gave her an inquiring look over the glass, “Sure you don’t want to join me?”

“I’m sure,” she smiled and took a sip of water. “I had a hard time following some of those diagrams those guys whipped out. They made it sound like the monuments in Egypt and those in Ireland were created by the same culture, but how can that be? They’re so different and you know the experts in Egyptian archeology still say the pyramids were created only a few thousand years ago. If that’s true, none of Allister’s theories make any sense.”

He shook his head, “We’re not saying the pyramid builders and the Newgrange builders weren’t separated by hundreds of years, but we believe there’s good evidence that they were operating under the same cultural assumptions. Consider the diverse architectural styles in our Western culture over centuries. Yet the underpinning assumptions about the nature of reality are the same for Gothic cathedrals and modern churches.”

“Though some people would say we’re way past medieval assumptions about the nature of reality.”

“Not where the fundamental principles apply and that’s all that we’re claiming for the connection between those two very ancient cultures. And I think the water damage around the Sphinx makes a good case for the entire site to be much older than a few thousand years in regard to your other question.”

“Listen, Ellie this project may have roots in the distant past and distant stars, but the reason we want to bring you on board for it is something much closer to home. Of course I mean what’s inside your heart. Remember how you felt back in Ireland, that indescribable sensation of being close to another world? For me, this project has that quality, despite all the hardcore science that is getting applied; underneath it’s about something too ephemeral for words.”

“When I was traveling in China, I climbed Tai Shan. It’s been a sacred site over there for eons. I walked all the way to the top by myself, which was quite a feat. The road was jammed with busloads of tourists, but I wanted to do it on foot. Anyway, the whole time on that mountain I felt the presence of something too wonderful for words. There was even a sign at the foot of the mountain which described it as a portal to heaven.”

“I was surprised the current regime in Beijing would tolerate such a thing; but there it was. I also thought it was just a gimmick to attract the tourists.” Her eyes misted over, “But it wasn’t Ted. The whole mountain emanated a sensation of just indescribable bliss.” She shook her head, then smiled, “Do you think it could be connected to the project too? A hold over from the last time it happened?”

“It well could be. The people living in Ireland ages ago, long before the Celts, the ones who built Newgrange went to some trouble to record in stone that this energy comes round. Maybe it explains your experience in China or maybe there are other agencies we don’t know about. All I do know is this is an incredible opportunity to participate in something truly cosmic and amazing.”

“So we’re going out tomorrow to do some experiment up on the mountain top right?”

“That’s my understanding. I think they want to get some measurements done.”

“What kind of measurements?”

“You’ll see. I don’t want to say too much about it, because apparently that might throw off the results.” He reached out and placed his hand on her arm, “I just want you to feel comfortable about it and not worry about a thing. I’ll be there the whole time and of course I won’t let anything bad happen.”

She nodded, “I’ll try to stay calm.” There was a tiny bit of irony in her voice, though from anyone else the paternal tone would have drawn a much sharper response.

“Good, good, let’s go watch television, there’s a documentary about Saturn I want to see. You like those kind of things right?”

“Sure, sounds like a good idea.” They walked arm in arm to the room where earlier she had received her lesson. There was now a regular flat screen T.V. where there had been the blank wall earlier. “Don’t they share their toys?” she asked

“Oh I wouldn’t know how to operate that gizmo that makes walls turn into televisions. I prefer this old fashioned screen,” he said and sat down on the sofa. She sat beside him on the opposite end and they spent the next hour marveling at the wonders of the giant gas planet on his old fashioned 50 inch HD. At the end of the program, Ted said, “Can’t believe that bit about Enceladus creating the E-ring of Saturn.” 

Ellie did not reply but gave Ted a kiss on top of his head. She didn’t know exactly why she did it, and he merely said, “Pleasant dreams, dear girl,” and she left him channel surfing for more science documentaries. On the way up the stairs to the guest bedroom, she paused in front of a picture of Irena. It was actually a painting of her entire body; she was wearing a black pant suit and holding a red rose. Her strawberry blonde hair was caught up into a pile on top of her head; her expression was defiant, almost fierce.

“Ted misses you, Irena you ought to come home,” Ellie said to the painting and went on up the stairs. There was another room across from hers and she saw light spilling out from beneath the door. She could hear voices, the two agents she assumed. She felt like pressing her ear to the door, but that would have done her little good since they were so heavy. It was clear Ted had spared no expense in building the house, so that everything seemed made of either solid hard wood or stone. A good way to spend money if you were able, she reckoned.

The house she shared with Hez happened to have hard wood floors, but otherwise, it was practically pre-fabricated. She hoped one day to build another house on their farm, maybe with some of the same accruements as those in Ted’s house. It seemed highly unlikely that she would ever be able to afford such a thing, but it was something she had given some thought to. She had even made some preliminary sketches of her dream house, though never shown them to anyone.

Hez said he didn’t want a bigger house, and she told him that he could just keep their present house and she would build one for herself. At that point they got into a long discussion about how they ought to go look for spouses and get on with their respective lives. She had given that a lot of thought as well.

Someday she hoped she would find the right man, and she hoped Hez would finally pick the right woman, but in the meantime, their arrangement suited her just fine. It had just been good to have some time at the farm with Hez. Months had slipped by and she hadn’t felt the need to change anything. An old dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail finally broke the pleasant lethargic flow of time there.

Before she made the decision, there were also persistent thoughts of Ted and her years spent assisting him. She didn’t normally ruminate on the past, and the challenge of a very long hike seemed a way to break out of the mindset. It was ironic that this had actually ended up causing her to reconnect to Ted after all. She still wasn’t sure how to regard her old friend. Despite their pleasant evening together, there was something about him that left her feeling a little on edge.

The two agents did not inspire her with much confidence either, despite their enthusiasm and business-like demeanor. They seemed off in some way that she couldn’t quite figure out. She didn’t think it was because they were foreign. She had met many foreigners and interacted with them in many different contexts. She had been a foreigner herself very often, and understood the complexity of the role. In fact she usually found herself particularly attracted to outsiders, yet not to either of them.

She didn’t feel that they would ever open up about anything that really interested her in meeting someone from a different country. She felt that they did not have favorite dishes that they missed or sports teams that they rooted for, or family members missing them. Somehow she felt that their foreignness was a façade, though they obviously were not American. She was sure that they were both from somewhere in Europe, but something was missing in them from a human point of view. She shuddered and forced herself to put the thoughts out of her mind. She was suddenly very tired and just wanted to get a good night’s rest before whatever came in the morning.

*

“I don’t think she’s ready,” Aleister exclaimed to his partner.

“It doesn’t matter. Her brother is coming up here and once that happens it will complicate things even more. Our best shot is to get her up there early before he gets here.”

“Can’t we see that he’s waylaid or something to buy some time? I just feel that she will perform better if she gets some more information.”

“I can arrange that, but honestly I don’t think she has enough intelligence to get it, no matter how much you explain it to her. Couldn’t you see how lost she was most of the time we were talking? I really wonder if she’s even right for this experiment at all.”

“I’ve got the data regarding her intelligence and she scores high in all the areas we were told mattered, and the main thing is that she’s got this tie to Ted. Their rapport is great, they’re like family.”

“I think they’ve over-rated the importance of the subjective factor. How can that possibly matter so much?”

“You’re thinking twentieth century, Ian. This is a whole new ball game, where the old objective standards of knowledge do not apply. The key to this new field of energy transmission is empathy, remember?”

Ian nodded, “That’s what they say, but I bet there’s an objective way to get to it.”

Aleister smiled, “You just can’t let go of the outdated paradigm can you? You know what I think? I think there never was much truly objective science. I think there was a lot more of it that was done in empathetic mode than people want to admit. And now, we’re finding out how far that can take us and it looks pretty damn far. You’ve seen what we’ve done with it already, and we’ve just begun to scratch the surface.”