Lost Tome

The Lost Tome

By Shane LaGrange

Set your story in a library after hours.

Portland’s Greater Municipal Library.

11:45 pm

A warm summer breeze blew this June night. The skies were clear and a full moon shone brightly against the Emerald City.

A mysterious sight spurred one youth and his three friends to tag along. A sight he observed many a night when the moon was full.

“This had better be important; worth getting me out of bed.”

“You were not invited, Kendall,” Mellissa Smart said, as they approached the two-story concrete building. 

“Can it!” Jax Jenner hissed sharply, taking out his binoculars. 

“Couldn’t we investigate Little T’s Bakery instead,” Kendall said, his stomach rumbling.

 Kendall was fourteen, overweight, and a pianist prodigy. All around pain, and mostly because he had no friends and did not know how to talk to people, including girls.  

“How about if we take you to For Paws for Peanut Butter cookies.”

Mellissa Smart was thirteen. Into the Goth life. Her platinum and green hair shone in the night. Sporting black lipsticks; numerous Tattoos (her mother did not know about). Dressed in black naturally. A tan AC/DC shirt, tight hip-hugging black jeans; sporting steel toe boots.

“You aren’t serious.”

Jax couched next to a gas station. “There it is; can’t you do something about your stomach?”

“Could have left him behind,” Tad Fletcher, thirteen, and the group's muscle snorted.

“Naw,” Jax said. “He would just tattle us out to our parents.” 

 Jax Tanner, also thirteen; into science fiction and horror movies, was also the inventor of the group, winning several awards; reported to be on Homeland Securities watch list.

“Rat fink,” Mellissa hissed.

“Who invited you?” Kendall shot back.

“I bet you would love to see my talents.”

“Might catch something.”

Her black eyes sparkled.

“Let’s see how far my boot can go up your. . .”

“Enough,” Jax said giving the binoculars to Mellissa.

“I can see better,” Kendall whined.

“With those glasses, you could see the Space Station,” Tad snickered.

Kendall had terrible vision problems. The lens in his black frame glasses made his eyes look enormous.

He took them off; wiped them on his shirt; placing them back on.

“Not my fault I have bad eyesight,” he sulked.

“Your mama’s,” Tad smirked.

“Do you see it?” Jax asked.

“Hold it,” she said. “Wait, there it is! Blue and white. Looks like it is pulsating.”

She gave the binoculars back to Jax.

“It is almost Midnight. If you are correct, we do not have long. Keep an eye out for the Yellow Jackets.”

She trotted across the street quickly looking both ways.

Reaching the door, she brought a small pouch out of her pockets. Lock picking tools. She inserted the two pieces in the lock and slowly started turning.

“What if there is an alarm?” Tad asked.

Jax left his position and trotted after Mellissa. Kendall started to follow, but Tad grabbed him and pushed him to the ground.

He quickly stood over the boy.

“Go ahead and yell! I dare you!”

A noise like an Owl sounded; Tanner left Kendall going across the street. 

“Nothing,” Jax said, as she opened the door.

“Could be silent,” she said.

“Let’s go then. Get this over with quick.”

“Get what over with what? What do you expect to find?’

“I don’t know,” he said, as they entered the darkened building. “Something great perhaps.”

Kendal sat on the concrete. This was taking too long. His mother, doing various bed checks to see if he was all right, would discover him missing and call the police. 

“I could wait for the police, but they would get me back at school the next day. 

Shrugging, he picked himself off the ground and hurried across the street.

Reaching the door, he was already sweating and panting.

“I should just call home,” he said, as sweat dripped from his forehead. His legs felt like jelly as he supported himself against the door. He badly wanted to throw up the four, Peanut Butter sandwiches and three Kit Kat chocolate bars and the Liter of Doctor Pepper. That was after diner of Tender Loin and mixed Rice followed by a desert bowl of at least four flavors of Ice Cream.

“I am not a wuss,” he said checking his watch. Midnight and thirty seconds. He would have to hustle up the stairs and pay for it later.

***

He steeled himself; pushing away the pain and nausea as best he could, and made it for the stairs. He felt a huge chunk of dinner swelling up and threatening to spill itself over on the floor. He gritted his teeth and swallowed it back down reaching the top floor.

 Not being able to stop, he bounded forward lopsided reaching the others, and falling into them, pushing them all in the Void.

***

He saw spots before his eyes; feeling blurry and disorientated. Like that, Star Trek story he read, about where the actors beamed up to the real Enterprise and the real crew beaming down in their place. How did the real Kirk interact with the film crew? Must have been a breath of fresh air.

The next thing he knew, he was face down, with a mouthful of sand.

“You look like a beached Whale,” he heard.

 He quickly spat out the foreign sand, not wanting to catch any disease. Choking and gagging, he tried to roll over, still trying to get his mental bearings.

“God, you look worse; did you just fart?”

Looking up at the night sky, Kendall noticed the stars were not right; three moons beginning to rise.

“Where are we?” He managed to say.

“Can’t you silence that stomach? Bad enough you farting, now, it’s coming out of both ends.”

“He struggled to his feet.

“I know I have issues, but you don’t have to be repeatedly mean about it.

He was angry and getting defenses. He did not want to be here. He wanted to be home, in the safety of his bed. He could not sleep though; with his high power telescope; living a few houses from Mellissa’s house. He saw her leave. 

“You are hearing things,” Tad said, straightening himself up. Thanks a heap for the push into the rabbit hole.

“Way to go,” Mellissa said, turning and shaking her shirt. “Not even wearing a bra,” she mumbled. Her boots on the ground with her socks stuffed in them. “Not all I wasn’t wearing.

“Where is Jax?” Tad asked as a winged creature sailed against the horizon; singing a strange cry.

“Jax!” Mellissa cried, feeling sand where sand should not be.

“You want that thing over here?” Kendall asked.

“Down here,” They heard a vocal response.

Looking to their left, they saw an embankment; at the bottom was Jax.

“Perpetual motion,” he said, as the others slid down the hill. “When Kendall struck us, I guess I was hit the hardest and kept going.”

“Look!” Kendall said, still on the hill. “I see smoke to the right. Could be a house.”

“Get yourself down here and let’s go say, hello,” Jax said. “I don’t think we have any other options.”

***

“Something is up with the moons.”

“Vanda-Tim,” a woman’s voice spoke. “Get away from that telescope and come to dinner.”

The grizzled male tossed his long white beard over his shoulder, so as not to step on it; shuffled from his den into the living quarters, where, in the kitchen, a fire burned bright and a kettle filled the room with the scent of soup. Wearing pants made from Dragon scales and a light tunic.

“I thought I saw movement outside in the sand.”

“You must be imaging things,” Leslie-Sal, his wife said. “Not even the most heavily armed Shock Troop would be out.”

He looked at her with pride. Tall, with now graying long hair, that reached to the floor; tied in a single braid. Slightly pointed ears, and wearing a simple form-fitting toga, weaved together with the thin fabric between a Dragon’s wings.

She brought him a bowl and was about to sit before the hearth when a knock sounded against the door.

“I told you,” he whispered. “I saw something out there.”

“Who could it be?” His wife echoed.

“Maybe, if we do not answer they will go away.”

“They see the smoke?”

“Doesn’t matter. Fires are left on all the time.”

More knocking. Insistent rapping.

“By GrandSoar, that is annoying,” he said, getting up to go to the door.

“Be prepared,” she said.

“Thank goodness,” Jax said, as the door opened. “What kind of creatures are out there.”

“The kind no one wants to mess with,” Vanda-Tim replied. “Who are you, strangers?”

“Simple travelers,” Kendall said, coming in next; followed by Tad.

“What manner of garbs are those? I have not seen their likes,”

He started to close the door when a hand pressed against the wood beam.

“Just a moment,” Mellissa Smart entering the domicile.

Vanda-Tim took one look at her and screamed, “Witch!”

His palm shot out and blue energy slammed Mellissa against a wall. Books and pottery went everywhere as shelves collapsed.

He twitched his finger and marks started appearing on her body and face as if a net was tightening against her flesh.

She screamed out; Kendall noticed on the elderly woman, the same marks were appearing. Blood started forming on both women’s faces and clothes.

Leslie-Sal also started screaming. Her husband turned; noticing the twin damage, released Mellissa. She fell to a heap on the floor as Jax came to see about her.

“What manner of magic is this?” Vanda-Tim roared. “Get out of our house!”

“Not magic sir,” Kendall said, happy to be of some use. “I think she and her are the same people.”

“Agents of the Dark Lord,” He said; with a wave of his arm, the door opened.

“What Dark Lord?” Tad asked, as the aged one swept them up in a maelstrom and thrown outside.

“There is always a Dark Lord,” Kendall said, as he bounced heavily onto the sand.

“Tell your Master, he won’t find it! I hid it too well.”

With that, the door closed.

“What was that all about and what did we stumble into? What was that about the girls looking so alike?” Jax asked.

“The peculiarities of Quantum Mechanics,” Kendall said, relieved that this explanation seemed accepted, as heads slowly nodded.

Slowly, trying to remember a Star Trek: Voyager episode and failing. He was having a hard time recalling anything that happened on Earth.

Around the hut, a figure stirred.

“What?” Tad said, getting defenses and moving toward the noise.

“Please do not hurt,” a small Imp-like creature, started coming into the moonlight. He pointed to the moons.

“Changing collar.”

“We noticed that,” Mellissa said. “Jax, I did not sign up for an adventure. We just going to look and leave.”

“Until the tank ran into us,” Tad said.

“Do you have a name?” Kendall said, trying to kneel down.

“No name,” the Imp said.

“He needs a name.”

“How about Skeever,” Tad laughed.

“And something of ours. To be sure he is on our side.”

He turned to Mellissa.

“Give him one of your rings.”

“No,” she said sheltering her hands and backing away. “These babies cost money.”

“Come,” the Imp said. “Not safe out here. Many dangers in the sand and above.”

***

The walk to its house was as long as the walk to the cottage. Primarily because they were trudging through something that felt like thick mud, and the more they went on. The more coagulated it became.

Mellissa lagged behind and took up behind them, which was not in her nature. She was sure Kendall’s legs were burning right now from the overuse.

She herself was beginning to feel ill. The sand that was everywhere in her pants felt like. . .mites, and they were moving around. She wondered if any of the others felt like that.

The Imp said, there were dangers in the sand. What dangers? Was there a path to follow? She squints her eyes, as she thought she saw a glimmer around the Imp, which enveloped the others; possibly including herself.

“Guys, I think we have Lice or something.”

“Come, come. Don’t dawdle,” the Imp said. Danger, danger.”

“He is right,” Jax said. “We will shower once we get home again.”

 She hurried up, catching up to Tad.

“You feel something is wrong?”

“Like what?” He responded. “The pain in my crotch like something is living there?” Damn sand.”

“You can’t see the Glimmer?”

“What? Did you hurt yourself falling?”

She hesitated, before walking up to Kendall, which was not hard because he was walking slower and wobbling.

“Are you alright?”

He looked at her.

“I feel sick.”

She looked back at Tad and motioned for him to hurry up.

“What’s up?”

“Help him along.”

What?”

“Help him walk.”

“Who made you boss? He can carry his own weight. God know he had enough.”

That gave her a moment to pause. They knew each other their entire life. Grew up; played together in the same neighborhood. She was tough, but never. . .

“Just do it!” She snapped, thinking of the other woman, and reached behind her ear and feeling the point. She hated how her ears looked. She fought with her mother on keeping it down and straight; considered it a deformity that other kids would make fun of how they looked. “We are going to need everyone.”

Kendall fell against her; she felt the weight and thought he would knock her down, but she felt another pair of hands. Tad caught him, and tossed one arm over his shoulder, and hefted him up.

“You own me,” he said to her; speaking to an almost comatose Kendall, “Help me out here. I am not dragging you the entire way.”

Fighting through the haze, he hesitantly picked up his foot and dragged walked along with Tad.

Jax was up ahead with the Imp and glanced back seeing that everything was in order.

Mellissa moved back into line ahead of Kendall and Tad, as a hovel came up into view.

“My place,” the Imp said pointing ahead.

“Thank goodness,” Kendall groaned.

***

“Eat, eat,” the Imp said, pushing a bowl in front of Kendall. His home was like a studio apartment. Everything in one room. A small bed with straw for a mattress laid in a corner. A large Urn behind the bed.

Must be where it goes for a bathroom, she thought. No burning fire; no light of any kind except for a small candle he lit. No hearth or fire; yet, there was food.

Kendall sniffed at the bowl. For once, he was not hungry. He felt sick, and sure, something was crawling around in his stomach. His mother would be beside herself, and making sure everyone in the neighborhood, and blaming them at the same time for her boy’s affection.

The Imp passed out three more bowls of hot food. She started to get up and sit near Jax and Tad when the Imp scolded her.

“No movement! You are all sick from Sand Mites. Eat and get healthy.”

“I figured as much,” Kendall groaned, dropping his spoon and downing the bowl in one swallow.

“That was good; more please.”

“Seeing Kendall eating; his spirits perked up a little made the other two boys relax. Jax and Tad attacked their bowl with the same zest. Nothing to eat, but yesterday’s dinner and barely a snack in between, except for Kendall. Going without substance for even a minute, he would start having withdrawals, like a junkie without his minute-by-minute fix.

She gingerly spoon-fed herself; not entirely trusting the creature.

 Jax, she always felt comfortable with him by her side. Right off the bat, they bonded. An Air to her Fire. Tad as well, though not as close. A protector, in case for those that got too close, wanted to tease her about her ears because someone heard something from someone and needed clarification.

Kendall? He was just there. Always saying the wrong thing, pissing the wrong people off; using his weight to his advantage. Just a mama’s boy basement dweller. Actually, she was not even sure they had a basement. She never was inside his house. His overprotective mother probably thought she had cooties.

 The green in her platinum hair been her idea. A way of striking back at her mother’s good intention to have her hair pony-tailed or braided.

“You see these ears,” she railed once. “You know the kind of hell I go through because people think I am a Vulcan or High Elf. Can’t we go to the doctor and have them docked?”

“You are not a dog,” her mother would calmly tell her. “If they tease you, then they really are not your friend and you should turn the other cheek like the good book said.

“Yeah well, Jesus was not an Elf.”

A loud noise broke her out of her thoughts and realized Kendall had belched. Loud enough to set off car alarms. Jax and Tad snickered at this.

She glanced down at her bowl and noticed the Imp had taken her spoon; was tilting the bowl to her mouth.

She slapped the bowl away with impunity and knocked the Imp to the ground.

Kendall was out cold and the other boys were trying to get up and tremble as they quickly fell back down against the wall. Bowls clattering to the ground and sloshing liquid everywhere.

She quickly stood up. Adrenaline running. She should have listened to her inner voice; because of her excited state, whatever was in the soup was accelerating in her system.

She felt fain as the room was starting to spin. Damn it all. Trapped in an Alien world and now they been drugged or worse. As the blackness consumed her, she wondered what else would go wrong.