Rooms Read online

  He rose up on one elbow and snuck a look outside through sleepy eyes. The miasma of a typical lifeglobe morning stared back at him with metal and glass collected into endless curves and shapes. R-131 was riled up again this morning. A huge storm was beating against the lifeglobe, but it really had little meaning for him. He was secure, protected.

  Just then, he saw a call coming in on his vid-screen. It was Simon. "Rad, what a night, huh! I just thought I’d check to see if you’d like to come out with us again tonight."

  "I'll think about it Simon. I'll get in touch with you later. Okay?"

  "Okay."

  Rad knew that Simon was disappointed, but he just couldn’t give him an answer right then. He was still waking up. He decided that he needed to eat something and then go out for a ride. He needed to feel the air and hear it move again. Last night was more difficult than he’d expected.

  ***

  Balanced and ready, the power in Rad's body was about to be transformed once more into speed and movement. He placed his foot on the pedaling device, rested his back against the support and…felt a tap on one shoulder. It must be Simon. He turned and was about to say something when he noticed the configuration of the hand and arm that had done the nudging. He was extremely surprised and delighted.

  "A beautiful machine, this speedcycle."

  Rad's heart was in his throat. Zeer, with her brilliant eyes and wide smile was standing alongside him. Somehow he managed to say, "Uh…thanks…"

  “I've noticed that you seem to ride almost every chance you get. Could I try a short spin?” she asked.

  Rad recovered and said, "Sure. Uh…have you ever handled one of these? They're sort of old-fashioned. Most people don't understand why I ride it. I'm not sure I always do either."

  "I think I do, but, no, I've never ridden one. I've worked with a simulator at the training room, though. I think I can handle it."

  Rad gave her a short demonstration, adjusted the fit, and let her go. She seemed to become part of the speedcycle almost as soon as she sped away. He could tell that she sensed the same freedom and love for speed that he did.

  Returning, she had a slightly red face and a bright smile, originating at the corner of her eyes. "I love it! Feeling the air moving over my skin was amazing. I can see why you ride."

  "Not many people really understand my preoccupation with it. It's new to find someone who can relate.” She beamed at Rad. It gave him the confidence to continue. “Zeer, the other day when I spoke to you, you seemed to be preoccupied. Why did you decide to open up to me now? It wasn't just my speedcycle…was it?"

  "No, it wasn't Rad. I’ve just had a feeling about you, and I noticed you at one of the Rooms last night.”

  "You were at Quad, too? What did you think?"

  "It wasn't as impressive as it would have been to me several months ago, but it definitely was a step above most of the other rooms here. The players that experienced the Focus seemed to gain the most from the experience, but that’s as it usually is, isn’t it. There were some excellent players, though."

  "You’re absolutely right about it being the best for those that were chosen. It must have been mind-boggling for them. Although, I'm still new here, and it definitely had an effect on me."

  "Did it leave you feeling somewhat empty, though?" she wondered.

  "You too! I can't quite put my finger on the reason why."

  Zeer reached into the pocket of her garment and grasped something. "Another reason that I'm here is that I’ve been asked to give you this." Zeer pulled a small book out and handed it to Rad.

  "A book. I don't understand?"

  "I don't think it will take you too long to figure it out, Rad."

  "Does this have something to do with what you whispered as you left yesterday?"

  Zeer just smiled. "It's getting late Rad. I need to go. I might see you out tonight. Look for me." She moved away.

  Now his brain was full of all kinds of thoughts, and he wondered, ‘Someone had asked her to give this to me?’ His eyes ricocheted back and forth between Zeer walking away, to the book, and back again. He didn’t quite understand what had just happened, but one thing he did know was that he needed to ride. He dropped the book into one of the side panels of his bike and sped off.

  ***

  The half-light of the moon was coming up as the nightshines were gleaming along the paths of R-131. Evening seemed to be just a darkened extension of another collection of hours inside the lifeglobe. The paths were extremely well groomed. There was no trash. The air was clean and sterile. The buildings were architecturally beautiful but also cold and unalive - the same textures, the same colors, the same three-dimensional shapes staring blindly back at him. However, within that bland environment, no matter where Rad had lived, he’d always been thankful for the variety in the people - their faces, their dress, their independence, their laughter and their emotions. And now, it was evening again, that specific time of day when excitement, freedom and self-expression blossomed.

  He knew that he had to go back to his job tomorrow. His time off had been both entertaining and thought provoking. He wasn’t ready to go back to his flat yet, so he popped into some clubs, had a few drinks and people-watched. He was enjoying his solitary trek among the throngs of the lifeglobe.

  He stepped out of the last club for the night and decided to stay out just a little while longer. He walked away from the Center and began to explore. There were never really any areas of a lifeglobe that were completely dark, but Rad did venture into an outer section that was dimmer and had very few people. As he moved farther from the Center, the sounds of the nightlife behind him had lessened to a muffled roar, fading away more and more with each step. He kept moving deeper into the solitude, enjoying the quiet and the lack of light. He hadn’t felt this serene in days. Then within his peripheral vision, he noticed a faint glow some distance down a long side path. It felt out of place. He hesitated for a moment and then moved towards it. He was curious.

  The pupils of his eyes settled and accepted the velvety semi-darkness as he reached the source of the light. It spread onto the path in front of him from beneath an old wooden door with a round handle made of burnished bronze. He’d never before seen anything so large that was completely made of wood. He had seen smaller objects, but nothing like this. It must be priceless. He stroked it gently. It was warm and smooth, and the light that came from the space underneath wasn’t strong or harsh. It had a golden radiance that almost felt alive. He reached down and touched the light and ran his fingers along the door’s handle but then pulled back. He felt as if he was intruding. This seemed to be a very special place, and whoever was behind that door belonged here, not him. He walked away.

  On his way back home, the congestion of the lifeglobe pushed against and was counter-balanced by that one path, that one door. Rad was drawn to it. He was tempted, lured… He was nuts! His mother had always known that he was a romantic and a bit of an extra-sensory fanatic. But there was something...

  It was very late when he finally arrived back at his flat. He crunched down into his chair and turned on some music. As he listened, the thought of what he had seen gnawed at him. He was pondering whether he should have walked away or not. ‘What was behind it? Who was in there? What were they doing?’ Then he noticed the book that Zeer had given him. It lay on the floor next to his chair. He reached down. The cover was old and soft. It felt comfortable in his hand. He allowed it to balance there for a moment and then decided to open it. The pages were yellowed, old and…blank. He stared.

  4

  Change

  Shar was now old and ready, her last cycle all but complete. She paused for a moment and looked down upon her acolyte who was still lying there asleep. She thought of all they had done together, all that she had shared and taught her. She would miss Fawn. She loved and respected her, but it was time.

  She walked to the entrance, raised her eyes, and glanced one last time at what had been her home for the past one hundred a
nd fifty years. The simple earthen bowls were neatly stacked against the shelf next to the back wall; the grasses and herbs had been gathered into piles of commonality, and the fire’s comforting glow was diminishing but still felt warm and comforting. This backdrop lay against the beauty of the starlit, crisp night that was framed by the entrance to her home – a cave, which was the very womb of her magnificent planet.

  She paused a moment more and then stepped quietly through the opening. She turned her head back one last time and knew that Fawn was complete and prepared. She then took in the night air, smiled, and glanced down at the object in her hand. Cradled there was her sphere - the one that had accompanied her throughout her life. She stared at it for another few seconds, wrapped her fingers reverently around it, and walked towards the shadowy trees in the distance. Once there, she raised the sphere above her head. The light from it grew, encompassing her. She floated upwards into the night, slowly at first and then with a burst of speed, she sped skyward - a comet-like flash into the heavens.

  ***

  Fawn opened her eyes and rose up on one elbow. She glanced around the cave. Something felt different, out of place. There were no sounds - no clinking of pottery, no crackling fire, no humming, no Shar. She blinked and sat upright, holding her blanket close to her naked form. She was alone.

  Fawn stood and walked to the cave’s entrance. Looking out, Shar was nowhere to be seen. Then Fawn knew. She knew what had happened. Shar had been preparing her, and now she was gone. Fawn was alone.

  Thinking that she might be wrong, Fawn waited at the entrance and hoped that she would soon see her teacher walking back towards the womb from the trees or the stream nearby. She even glanced back inside where Shar usually slept, hoping that she might possibly have missed seeing her. But then Fawn noticed that Shar’s blankets were missing along with some of her most prized possessions. She was gone. She’d left in a blaze of glory. Her last cycle was complete. Her new cycle had begun.

  The realization of the truth hit Fawn hard. Her lips trembled, and the tears welled up in her eyes as the memories of her time with Shar came flooding back.

  She walked a short distance from the cave and bent down on one knee, looking out towards the ocean of Sholar. Shar had been with her just yesterday, sharing and living her life. ‘Where had she gone? Where was she?’

  Then she remembered her last moments with Shar from the night before and knew that she should have realized it might be the last time she would ever see her. Shar had come to her before they had slept and said, "Fawn, you are so special to me. When I first met you, you were simply an unadorned tapestry who had come from an ancient culture of mistrust, greed, and misunderstanding. You were a lump of fire-burned earth, not yet formed, but possessing a willingness to be molded and shaped. You have grown so much. You have known death, destruction, and the cry of a beautiful planet, smoldering in its innocence. You have lived with me for a long while now, and our mother has shown you life, completeness, unity, and best of all, the wonder of chance. You are my friend and wonderful student. But now you are ready, ready to surpass me.”

  But Fawn countered with, “I will never surpass you, Shar. There is still so much to learn, so much for you to teach me.”

  Shar just smiled, knelt down, and touched Fawn on the shoulder, saying, “You will never die, Fawn. I will never die. We will cycle and to cycle is life. Good night my dear. Morning will come."

  It was the last thing that they always said to each other at night before it was time to rest. Fawn remembered merely repeating the phrase and then nestling down under her blanket. “Morning will come.”

  And now, Shar was gone. Fawn understood that she had been taught and made to feel whole by a great teacher. She had learned and experienced the mystery, the gut wrenching reality that, after the learning, became truth. She also believed that Shar would always be a part of her, as surely as if she were standing in front of her right now.

  Fawn’s tears flowed down her face and landed in the soil near her feet. She reached down and mixed them with the pebbles of dirt and sand and rock. She breathed in the fresh air of Loon and allowed the early morning colors, shapes, and shadows to enter the receptors of her vision. Her eyes shifted skywards then, and a final tear, lonely and clear, coursed down across her cheek as she stared into space.

  Fawn then remembered something that Shar had given her. She reached into the folds of her blanket, and there it was. Shar had given her a sphere. It was now hers, and she was the new spiritual leader of Loon. It was her time to go forward and share the knowledge.

  She dropped the blankets from her naked body, held the sphere skyward, and connected. Its energy engulfed her, and the soft flesh of the soul of her being rose and moved over the planet's surface towards the Learning Cluster. She was alive and new. Her next cycle had begun.

  ***

  Rad was shocked when he saw the news on his vid-screen. Zeer was the main headline. She’d disappeared and hadn’t shown up to work for many days. Her friends, although she had few, were alarmed and had brought it to the attention of the lifeglobe patrol. An investigation was taking place, but at this point, there were no leads.

  He leaned back with a feeling of helplessness. He hadn't even gotten to know her, yet she had been an important part of his thoughts. He was stunned and tried to imagine what had happened. She was an intelligent, beautiful, strong woman. He couldn't believe that she would ever place herself in a position of weakness or vulnerability. He could still see the brightness in her eyes after she had ridden his speedcycle and could feel the touch of her hand against his as she had given him the leather book.

  Rad called the information control officer for the council. He lied and told him that there had been a death in his family, and he would not be in that day. He just couldn’t.

  He had to do something to take his mind off Zeer. He really didn't know her at all, but he had been intrigued and drawn to her. ‘What had happened?’

  ***

  "Tal?" Simon was in a light-hearted mood, as usual.

  "Yes?"

  "Rad’s a player, and I know he's a good one. He’s been holed up at work and in his home for too long. Do you know what’s wrong with him? Neither one of us has known him very long, but I like him and hate to see him become a loner. That can be a dangerous thing to do on any lifeglobe."

  "I haven't seen him much since the night that we all met, but I agree with you.”

  "I was thinking that we might be able to take him out again. Have you heard about the new game that everyone’s talking about?"

  "No."

  "It doesn't even have a name that I know of, but it’s said that all of the others, including Quad, don't even come close to its difficulty or intensity." Simon was getting fired up again with the thought of a new Room.

  "I know what you're thinking, Simon. You want to introduce Rad to this new Room. You probably have a good idea. Where is it?"

  "I don't know!"

  "What? You get me hooked on your idea and then tell me this Room is so famous that you don't even know where it is!"

  Simon knew that Tal was often disgusted with his nonchalant attitude about details, but this wasn't his fault. "Now wait a minute! Nobody knows where this Room is because that's part of the game. It’s located somewhere in our lifeglobe, but when the Room is actually played, there’s never an audience. The people who have played seem to be only the top players, and we both know that R-131 has drawn more than its share of those recently."

  Tal was somewhat interested. His analytical mind posed the next question. "I’ve heard about an ‘Old One’ who steers one of the Rooms here. Could she be the maker of that one?"

  "The people who’ve played have mentioned her but never in very concrete terms. The Room, it seems, is always dimly lit, and the players can only remember the shadowy figure of a woman, but that's it."

  Tal looked confused again. His body language told Simon that he needed more information.

  "From what I’ve heard, every
player that she’s chosen feels disorientated and confused afterwards. They have no idea why they were chosen, what they did there, or how they left. They only have a vague memory of being there. Pretty freaky, huh!"

  "People play and don't know exactly where the Room is or what they did when they played, and no one knows when or if they’re going to play it or not. Sounds like a good one to stay away from to me. I do have to admit I'm a little curious, but this all seems pretty strange."

  Simon was almost drooling, "I know. I want to play, though, and the only way that I can figure out how to do that is to prove my abilities against some of R-131’s best players. How about tonight?"

  Thinking about Rad again, Tal said, "I'll check back with you later. I'm going to go see if I can catch Rad at home."

  The massive black, white, and gray edifices of R-131 created an eerie perspective as the two men separated and moved in opposite directions. Simon sauntered away easily with thoughts of the evening to come; Tal was more deliberate, sensing the windless sounds of the lifeglobe and thinking about Simon, the strange new Room, and Rad.

  5

  Insight

  Tal found Rad at home. He wanted to talk to him and ask how he was feeling, but as they sat down, he ended up doing little more than listening. Rad explained that he’d been down about what had happened to Zeer. He hadn’t known her long, but even so, her disappearance, for some reason, had hit him hard.

  Tal understood. “I miss her, too, Rad. I’ve known her for quite a while. She’s a special person. We worked together at the same training center, and she wasn’t just a smart and dedicated professional. She was one of those people that somehow get along with just about everyone. We all miss her, and none of us can understand what happened. I hope the authorities can find her.”