THE SLIDE | Part 4

57: Take Off Your Masques: Zones 8 - 9

Fantasy: Illusions of Past, Present, Future & …

Recap

The ObzKotch machine warriors fight against seven of the Original Eight.

The monster Slofee-Chimera transformed from Hrez to Sofie L’Mallard to a Chimera-Beast and the eight ObzKotch machine-tooled warriors capture the remaining seven and pull them towards the One-of-Light at the center of them all.

One thousand feet up, the “eyes” of the Elohim — all forty-eight eyes — gazed at the geometric pattern of the eight petals of the chrysanthemum in a kiwinetty* pattern of perfection.

Exhausted, the eight dark warriors and the Dark Chimera ceased their attack and all (including the seven of the Original Eight) are brought into a transdimensional space of the Light-One. He was heartily laughing with a good-nature.

Walking Zone 8 Back Home

After a vigorous ascent up, icy inclines and straight up the cadre — six or seven of them and Mustafah transversed Zone 7 onto the plain of Zone 8. Tem appeared to have a following of Farha, Ra, Maria and Sophia. Occasionally, Farha was sure she saw Kuzma where Tem should have been. When she looked closely, it was Tem exuding warmth and light. Ra nearly bumbled into him a few times, attracted to his light.

“How do you suppose we landed in the meadow of singing grasses, lavender, and orchards from the conflict in the vortex?” Ra asked Tem.

“Would you have me answer from my habit as a scientist? Or my fantasy imagination of making it up? Or from my heart?” Tem asked Ra.

“You were in the center of that beam of light. It looked that it required a great effort for you,” Ra wondered aloud.

“Is that a question?” Tem laughed.

“A statement, I guess. Of my three options — as to your answer, the truth would be nice.”

“It was de light that brought us together and delivered us from the violence and deadly conflict,” Tem said on the edge of laughter and mirth.

Nikos flew up into the sky and floated down on three separate occasions.

Mustafah appeared, fading into view.

On the fourth time Nikos went up, Mustafa exclaimed:

“This is a symbol of his indecision.” He brought a strange golden instrument to his lips. There was a deafening loud horn sound as Nikos flew up into the sky and floated down. “They call this a trombone for making music.”

Nikos flew up and floated down again, laughing. The clouds parted, and the sun shone through. The frozen tundra thawed. Flowers flowed forth — growing at an alarming and delightful rate. They were happy flowers.

“Kuzma just told me that some others are calling us the Immortals,” Nikos said, beaming.

“And where was Kuzma when you heard him say this? Who are these ‘others’? And this particular label is going to a wrong place in you, Nikos,” Mustafa said.

“You are correct. Clearly this is hearsay at best and rumor at worst,” Nikos concluded good-naturedly.

“Humph, yah… We’ll see,” Mustafa grumbled.

“You’re worried. Try not to be. He’s been curmudgeonly many, many years before with Kuzma’s father,” Ra stated.

“He will not be sending me back, will he?” Nikos asked.

“He can’t do that. He can only reflect our illusions back to us.”

“Lollygaggers, come see this,” Sophia shouted while Farha waved to them as the garden embraced Ra and Nikos. The flowers and their devas danced as they wound around the players.

Looking-Glass Pond

Kuzma was perched on a frail branch from a nearby gnarled tree. An ordinary branch would not have been enough to sustain his weight or allowed him to balance there. Newtonian physics denied Kuzma and the others’ accustomed reality. Kuzma was waving his arms and hands in close circles. This allowed him to free Ra and Nikos from the branches and join the others at the edge of the pond without offending the branches and flowers.

While Tem, Sophia, Ra, Maria, Nikos and Mustafa gazed at the dynamic actions, Farha was drawn to currents at the edges of the images in the pond. Kuzma, now balanced on the branch, was looking downwards, his chest on some branches as he took it all in.

At the center from above Earth in space below the aperture of the wormhole, they saw the manifestations of the vortex: the fighting between the planes, the shedrakes and Ombolo, rising. All “knew” Zed was with her — the novopus. Until she severed her longest ninth tentacle with Zed and they were taken through the wormhole.

Everyone was aghast and had inhaled without exhaling immediately except Farha, Kuzma and Mustafa. Farha and Kuzma faded from view. Mustafa slowed his breath. Zed and Ombolo’s Ninth Tentacle were released through a small portion of the event horizon and disappeared through a wormhole. They were gone. The others exhaled and relief filled the space.

The battle between the Light and Dark Forces disappeared from the face of the Earth. The vortexes became cyclone hurricanes and unleashed water from the atmosphere. This action closed the event horizon over Antarctica.

After three years of rains and massive flooding, the oceans filled, and the deserts are abated.

“The mission is complete,” Nikos said and added, “Right?”

Waves of dark and light energy passed through the space. The pond, the foliage, the summer disappeared and were replaced by the tundra. An urge to move was created. Everyone stood up together and followed the path across the plain with a sense of urgency.

The First Doorway on the Path to the 9th

“I don’t remember what I’m supposed to remember,” Tem wondered aloud as Sophia and Ra stepped past him.

“We need to remember to move and step lively, man. There is not much time left,” Ra said to Tem.

“On that, we agree. And…” Tem continued to reach at a memory he could not recall. They walked towards the rise where Maria and Nikos had gone.

Maria and Nikos had arrived at the first doorway, where the colorful symbol appeared.

Maria immediately put her left hand between the sun and the sliver of moon, her thumb in-line with the star.

“You are right-handed, aren’t you?” Nikos began. “Why use your left hand?”

“I am Marie, not Maria. Or technically speaking, I am both Maria and Marie,” she said, smiling, and passed through the door.

When Nikos went to put his hand on the template floating on the door, it moved and disappeared.

As Ra, Sophia and Tem approached, Tem exclaimed,

“I remember who it was. It was my niece and the other guy.”

“You do not have a niece. Never did,” Ra said.

An Index of Parts 1 and 2 (with a link to the Index of parts 3 & 4):

I appreciate your continuing readership and applaud you that you take the time to read this longer work in an era of shrinking stories. Bravo!

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Since there will be a sequel there will be two more chapters.

Rebecca Romanelli | Blaine Coleman| DL Nemeril | May More | David Price | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Joseph Lieungh | Camille Grady | Ravyne Hawke | madmess’s thoughts | Orla K. | Margie Willis | Noorain Ali | Dr. Preeti Singh | Lee David Tyrrell | Libby Shively McAvoy | Rip Parker | Ilis Trudie Palmer | Melanie J. | Jean Carfantan | Lady Dr. Gabriella Korosi | Spyder | Annelise Lords