Between the Stacks

As the Caribbean sun made its debut, the Captain of the Schooner Maria ascended to the main deck. He peered into the hatch before he closed it and bellowed, "Just sit tight, funny-looking gringo, and sip your piss water." With a bellowing laugh, he sauntered away down the deck.

Watching the Captain's departure, Harley couldn't help but shake his head, clutching his books in the galley. Unfazed by the Captain's rough demeanor and scorn, he was accustomed to dealing with bullies. Harley was acutely aware of his uniqueness. Gifted with an eidetic memory, he remembered everything. Everything her saw, read or watched.

At school, he had become the butt of jokes and ridicule due to both his mind and his physical stature—standing an imposing six feet seven inches tall and weighing a mere 145 pounds. His striking appearance, with deep blue eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a lengthy pointed nose, only added to his unforgettable presence on the ship.

"Thank you, Captain," Harley called out before settling onto a bench to read. Placing three hefty books on Mexico and the Caribbean, along with the latest Dashiell Hammett novel, on the galley table, he immersed himself in his reading. Despite being a voracious reader, he found it challenging to concentrate on the schooner's voyage through the Caribbean. The rhythmic sound of the water against the hull, the briny air's scent, and the sun's warmth filtering through the open porthole lent a serene quality to the galley, soothing his spirit.

Deciding to delve into the mystery novel, Harley opened to where he left off, settled into the leather seat, and began to read. The aroma of Twinings Ginger and Lemon tea filled the air as he took a leisurely sip. Just as the mug hovered at his lips, chaos erupted like a thief in the night, shattering the tranquility in an instant.

A sudden jolt rocked the ship, flinging the scalding tea across him. With a sharp cry, he leapt to his feet, the mug disintegrating on impact. Tea and heavy tomes cascaded onto the wooden deck, intertwining in a symphony of serendipity. Rubbing his throbbing head, Harley tried to make sense of the sudden mayhem.

He collapsed onto the bench, his heart racing as he struggled to catch his breath. When he finally gathered the strength to look down, what he saw made his pulse quicken. The books lay open at glossy illustrations, one on top the other, their pages intertwining in a mysterious and unsettling pattern. Unkwown to Harley, this was no mere coincidence. This was the beginning of a revelation that would shake his very existence to its core. Harley's mind reeled as he stared at the enigmatic display before him, unable to look away.

Placing the books in same sequence on the table, a common thread emerged. Harley took a deep breath, letting his gaze drift as he immersed himself in the illustrations. A subtle pattern revealed itself, leading his gaze to the third book, "Veil of the Forbidden Paradise." Mimicking the others, he turned to page 35. Running his fingertips over the page where one picture seemed to interconnect to another. Clearly a view of the Yucatan coastline, unveiling a chilling enigma. He shook his head.

Intrigued by the mysterious turn of events, which carried a tinge of fear, he grabbed his pencil and notebook without hesitation. As he sketched the captivating scene unfolding before him, a surge of disbelief washed over him—a delicate arrangement of flowers' stems formed a perfect X at the intersection of the volumes.

"X marks the spot!" he whispered inwardly, noting the X just beyond the coastline, concealed within the jungle.

Tearing a page from his journal he tore the paper into equal square bits. Then he wrote the first letters of the words he found most peculiar on each page. The words that made him feel something he could not understand. It was like a jolt in his brain as if he had monetarily connected to something bigger, universal even.

Excitedly he spread the papers out end to end and then stared at them.

Then he shuffled them around.

coaches cool most

caches cools moot

cache cosmos loot

He shut his eyes and tuned into the rhythmic whoosh of the waves beneath the schooner as it sliced through the Caribbean waters. Occasionally, he would blink open his eyes, gazing at the mysterious letters before him. His mind was a hurricane of thought as he scanned every book he had ever read for clues.

He decided to narrow his focus closer to where he was. His own surroundings. He let his thoughts wander. Blue water, the boat, the warmth, and suddenly, Mexico. Mexico? With a sudden jolt, he sat up, adjusting his bow tie.

He grinned slyly, his index finger poised on the letters. With a sweeping gesture, he rearranged them to reveal the words "Chocolate Cosmos.” Harley's jaw went slack and he rubbed his chin.

Then he sat back. “So, “Cosmos astrosanguineus”, how are you tied into the mysteries of the universe?"

“What does a rare flower have to do with anything?” he asked, using his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow. "I'll have to leave it to fate," he decided.

He pondered the enigmatic turn of events that brought him to this moment. It felt like a profound cosmic gesture, a trail of breadcrumbs laid out by forces beyond reckoning. He read books every night of his life before bed but this, this sent a shiver down his spine. Something in the universe was calling to him. He felt compelled like iron to a magnet. He deduced he needed to get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

Refreshed by a shower and shave, he donned a cream linen suit with a precisely tied yellow bow tie, polished his brown leather boots. Harley meticulously packed a wooden trunk, carefully placing each item inside.

Adjusting his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, he grabbed his pith helmet, and returned to the galley to delve deeper into the mysterious discovery.

Climbing up the ladder to the upper deck he let the sights and sounds wach over him. The call of gulls overhead made a smile tug at the corners of his lips. The sea always stirred a sense of joy within him that books alone could not match. From his pocket, he retrieved a small tin and extracted a round pill, popping it into his mouth in hopes of calming his nerves. Then he sought out the Captain.

Pulling out a map of the coastline that he had sketched, he showed it to the Captain, questioning if they could pinpoint the location. The Captain studied the map, nodding in affirmation that they were just a few kilometers away. A bit of extra money exchanged hands as Harley persuaded the Captain to approve his planned jungle excursion.

“It will be a while before we arrive. Why don't you find something to occupy the time?" suggested the Captain.

Harley retrieved sunscreen from his pocket, methodically applying it to his face, arms, and legs. Settling into a deck lounge chair, he basked in the sun's warmth, allowing his mind to wander. How might the various books he had devoured be intricately linked in a mysterious way within the depths of the jungle? What awaited him? Was it dangerous?

Not long after, the Schooner glided to a silent halt as the Captain's commands echoed, guiding them to drop anchor just off an isolated beach. Harley stood up from the lounger and walked to the gunwale. Bending over, he handed a beach umbrella to Augusto, who had just sat in a skiff gently into the glistening waters just below and was already settled inside. Augusto stowed the umbrella under the seats.

Harley then jumped into the skiff followed by Benedito with the trunk in hand.

The Captain leaned over the side, “Tengo cien pesos que dice que no sobrevive más allá del mediodía.” (I got a hundred pesos that says he doesn't stay alive past noon) he yelled at the two seamen.

“I'll take that!” Benedito waved back and laughed.

With the trunk securely stowed at the skiff's stern, the trio—Augusto, Benedito, and Harley—rowed towards the shore. Benedito's robust paddling, aided by the incoming tide, swiftly delivered them to the beach within moments.

Benedito and Augusto leaped onto the damp sand, dragging the skiff until its bow rested on the dry shore. As Harley disembarked and strode towards the jungle, a persistent nagging, leading his gaze to a striking sight: a Chocolate Cosmos blooming just a few paces into the jungle on his right.

“Come,” he beckoned to the crew handing the umbrella to Benedito. His voice a whisper in the vastness of the landscape.

While Benedito adjusted the bulky trunk strapped to his back and trailed after Harley, Augusto remained where he stood, waving at them to continue without him.

“No problem,” Harley called back.

A surge of mystery enveloped Harley as he stood contemplating what to do next. The sun’s gentle caress mingled with the moisture-laden air, creating a sensory symphony punctuated by the cacophony of parrots, cicadas, and monkeys.

Opening his eyes, he peered deep into the jungle and caught sight of what he knew to be a clue, the magnet. A Chocolate Cosmos! A Chocolate Cosmos amidst the lush greenery. “This way,” he directed.

Harley lead them deeper into the labyrinth of the jungle, following the alluring “breadcrumbs” of the Chocolate Cosmos along the trail into the unknown expanse ahead.

About a mile into the jungle, Harley's sharp eyes caught glimpse of a stone carving, standing proudly about three feet tall - a relic of ancient Mayan craftsmanship. His curiosity piqued, he turned to Benedito, but Benedito was frozen in stunned silence, his expression a mix of wonder and fear.

Without hesitation, Benedito loosened the rope and released the trunk to the jungle floor, dropped the umbrella, and started sprinting back the way they had come.

Harley could not leave now. He felt the unshakeable pull, a sense of conviction that drove him further into the enigmatic heart of the jungle. Ahead, another Chocolate Cosmos bloom beckoned to him, its sweet scent a hypnotic dance in the humid air.

Dragging the cumbersome trunk with gritted determination, the umbrella tucked under an arm, Harley trudged on. The air hummed with the promise of long-buried enigmas, tugging at his very essence.

Then he saw it. It was so overgrown by the jungle he almost missed it. Harley's heart raced, his head got light and he thought he might faint.

Peering intently into the dense thicket, a mysterious sight awaited - a small pyramid cloaked in winding vines, its entrance whispering of untold secrets from ages past. Guarding the threshold were statues of Kukulkan, the revered serpent deity of the Mayans, their stoic gazes entrancing beneath the fragmented sunlight cascading through the foliage.

Over the lintel, twin serpent heads met at the center, with the other two heads resting at the bottom of each side of the entrance, their positions frozen in a silent dance, adding an enigmatic touch to the ancient structure.

Finding a suitable spot Harley dropped the trunk and umbrella.

He unlatched the trunk, retrieving water, biscuits, and a small linen cloth. He spread the cloth on a rectangular rock, in front of the trunk, placing the bottle of water and biscuits on top. Then he sat down to catch his breath.

Soon, the eerie silence of the jungle was shattered by the gentle rustling of spider monkeys converging near the pyramid. Drawn by an unseen force, they gathered around the peculiar scene—a lone Englishman enjoying a moment of respite at the Mayan sacrificial altar.

As he sat watching the monkeys Harley felt an inexplicable aura engulfing him, unlike anything he had ever encountered in his adventurous life. Goosebumps prickled on Harley's skin as he sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the pyramid.

A chill wind pierced the dense jungle, sending a shudder cascading down Harley's spine. The unmistakable scent of damp earth hung in the air, foreboding in its intensity. The sky darkened swiftly as the wind intensified, animating the foliage in a discordant symphony of rustling leaves. Above, the monkeys' agitated howls pierced through the tense atmosphere, their cries mingling with the distant roll of thunder.

"Well, it looks like the show is about to start." he looked at the monkeys as he slowly withdrew a gleaming metal flask that once belonged to his father from his pocket.

He twisted off the lid with a flourish and took a long, bold swig of the potent spirits within, the fiery liquid calming his insides.

It was just then that a stong gust blew and in a sudden, ear-splitting cacophony, a deafening "CRACK" split the air as lightning struck the pyramid, momentarily blinding Harley in its searing light. Thunder followed, rumbling like the foreboding roar of an ancient beast.

Instinctively, Harley dropped and rolled behind the trunk for cover, heart pounding as he cautiously peered over the top.

His breath caught in his throat as the lightning danced wildly, ricocheting off the serpentine mouths of Kukulakan in a mesmerizing cascade of brilliant blue, culminating in an epic burst of dazzling light that sent the monkeys nearby careening into a wild, panicked frenzy.

And just as Harley's hand trembled in awe, the beams of blue light unexpectedly coalesced into a bright triangular, swirling portal that shimmered like a celestial convergence, between the snakes heads. The air crackled with energy, the jungle falling into a hushed reverence as the mysterious gateway hummed with a power beyond comprehension.

He rose from the creaking wooden trunk, his hand tightening around the umbrella as he closed it, and moved towards the mysterious portal. An icy shiver raced down his spine as he bravely plunged the closed umbrella into the ethereal gateway.

The unexpected surge of electric energy zipping along the umbrella jolted him, causing Harley to quickly pull it back for closer examination. Much to his surprise, the umbrella remained unaltered, defying the mystical forces at play.

Leaving the umbrella behind, he took a deep breath, relishing the musty scent of dampness that clung to the air, and cautiously ventured forward. Keeping his eyes tightly shut in fear.

The jungle sounds faded then he heard a buzzing in his ears like a swarm of bees. As he gingerly set his foot down he sensed a solid ground beneath his feet, instead of the expected damp earth.

Afraid to open his eyes,for now, he immersed himself in the surrounding sounds. He picked up on the soft, rhythmic hum resembling delicate machinery along with whispering near, and far.

Very slowly he dared to open his left eye.

"Oh my goodness!" both eyes went wide.

Harley stepped into a vast, shadowy expanse that hummed with an electrifying energy, sending tingles down his spine. The space before him was a mesmerizing blend of the futuristic and the ancient, where strange, otherworldly gadgets coexisted with weathered, leather-bound books on towering shelves that soared three stories high. His gaze lifted to see mezzanine after mezzanine looming above him, disappearing into the distance. Harley blinked in awe. Could this be heaven?

At the heart of it all stood two humanoid robots, immaculately designed and eerily lifelike, their eyes fixed on him with an inscrutable glint. Harley's heart raced with a mix of fear and fascination as he realized the magnitude of the mysteries surrounding him.

The robot on the left spoke first, "Welcome, we have been awaiting your arrival."

Dizzy with disbelief, Harley swayed, and the other robot extended a steadying hand towards him.

"Where… where am I?" he stammered, hands trembling as he reached for his flask, taking a deep swig.

"This," the robot gestured elegantly, "is the Cosmic Codex. By deciphering the code, you have been chosen as our next Librarian Celeste."

Harley stood with his mouth open. Trying to compose himself he whispered, “How could this be?”

We needed someone of exceptional skill and memory. Someone who could take over here. Therefore, clues were left among many books on Earth. For hundreds of years we have waited and,” the robot gestured with a sweep of his arms, “here you are.”

Collecting himself with measured breaths, his right hand resting on the top of his hat he said, "What shall I call you two?"

The left robot responded, "ygfvbds54857."

"Wait," Harley interjected, removing his helmet and securing it on the robot's head, "Let me give you names. You will be, Dewey," he nodded to the left robot, "and you, Decimal."

The two robots exchanged a mechanical hum, "We accept."

As they advanced towards a large desk, Dewey elaborated on the grandeur of the cosmic library. Seven identical buildings, towering one hundred stories high and stretching for miles awaited exploration.

Harley sighed in awe, "I may never live long enough to read the volumes in just this section..."

Decimal's mechanical laughter filled the air, "Fear not. With us, you shall endure for thousands of Earth years." Playfully patting Harley on the back which comforted Harley.

Harley smiled broadly, his eyes glistening, “I'm going to love it here!”.

Together they approached the desk, and Dewey directed, "Let us commence." A translucent screen materialized before them, illuminating with information on the enigmatic "Cosmic Codex."

A sudden flash of light near the desk heralded the arrival of two humanoid crab-like beings, exchanging intricate clicking sounds between them.

"Shhhh!" thundered Harley's voice. "This is a sanctuary of knowledge—a library."

The crabs' eyes, perched atop their spindles, darted towards Harley, recognizing his position of authority behind the desk. “Sorry,” a tiny vibrato voice murmured. The two crabs scuttled along on their pointy legs, disappearing down the stacks, their clicks echoing on the glossy tiled floor.