Note: ArchFaith's school assignment.
The Alliance of Perspective
A Crossover between The Great Gatsby, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Scarlet Letter, The Catcher in the Rye, Ethan Frome, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, and various other novels and short stories.
By ArchFaith
It flew on silent wings through the brightening sky, majestically flittering over the trees and houses of the opulent community. It was not flying just for amusement; it had a task to complete and it was determined to reach its destination before sunrise. The houses—more like mansions—and rich landscapes seemed never to end.
Finally it spotted its temporary home; a spacious mansion overlooking a clear blue bay, decked with everything money could buy. A pool, flowered gardens with enormous hedges and a space in the backyard for parties with jazz bands. It wasn't very interested in any of this, though. It lightly flew on as the morning rays penetrated through the clouds.
It landed on the windowsill of one of the guest bedrooms and tapped lightly on the glass.
The boy was dreaming. He was wrapped up tightly in the cotton sheets, in fetal position because of habit. He was used to sleeping in tight, cramped spaces, used to huddling for warmth. This mansion and its comforts were quite different from what he was used to; even with the luxury he would've preferred a raft in the middle of a great river.
His expression changed as he dreamt. He remembered his home down in Missouri, along the Mississippi River; his friends Tom and Jim, and all the scrapes they got into dealing with various people who might uncover their plans; and of the freedom he had, all by himself, wading into the cool river at sunrise.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap!
TAP TAP!
"Gosh, ya don't hafta knock so loud," Huckleberry Finn admonished, rolling over with sleep. He rose, his eyes still closed, and opened the window for the bird to come through.
The bird hopped lightly onto the inside sill, not looking very sorry. It was large and black, with two beady eyes and a narrow beak. It was a raven. It was the Raven.
"So what's hap'nin?" Huck asked it. He noticed a note tied to the Raven's leg with a piece of string. He unwrapped the note from the bird's leg and was about to read it when he realized his comrades would also want to hear its contents.
He gazed at the timepiece on the dresser of his room. 8:00. "I reckon they're up 'ready, right?" he asked the bird, who seemed to shrug.
Huck threw the letter down and opened the closet, looking for something to wear. He had a choice to wear the clothes the owner of the mansion had given him: a starched white shirt with short pants that reached his knees, with a beret-like hat. But no. His own clothes were enough for him. He ran a hand through his tousled brown hair and slipped into a ripped white shirt and hand-me-down overalls. He grabbed his old straw hat and rushed out with the door with the note, the Raven flying after him.
The ivory stairs were polished and hard to climb down, being so clean and smooth. Huck was taking his time down them when he heard a voice ask, "Having trouble?"
A man stood at the end of the stairs, smiling politely. He was dressed in a grey pinstriped business suit, with dark blonde hair slicked back over his head. His blue eyes were surveying the note Huck was holding. "Well, this is the first time I've seen you up before twelve o'clock."
"Oh," Huck sighed, not knowing what to say. "Morning, Mr. Gatsby, sir. The Raven brung us a note."
"Really?" Gatsby face turned serious. "Maybe we're finally going to figure out what's going on. Come along, short sport."
He turned and exited into the dining room. Huck grabbed the banister and went after him, the Raven having become impatient and flown after him.
Huck practically slid down the stairs and stepped into the dining room.
"Ah, good morning Mr. Finn," a gentle voice greeted. An old man sat at the table, holding a tea cup in his hands. He wore white stockings, a pleated white blouse with a brown vest, and a forest green jacket. He was balding and bespectacled, giving him an air of sincerity as Huck sat down.
"Oh hello Mr. Franklin, sir...Miss Prynne, ma'am...Mr. Usher, sir."
The woman sitting across the table from Benjamin Franklin sighed. She smoothed out her wrinkled brown dress, straightening the white apron that was pinned to it. She wore a white Pilgrim's cap on her head, and a red letter "A" across her front. "Good morn, Huckleberry," Hester Prynne replied gloomily.
The Raven had landed on the shoulder of a gaunt-looking man with greasy black hair down to his shoulders and maddened, green eyes. His plum colored jacket and pants were faded, and his gloved fingers trembled as he drank his tea. "If it can be a good morning, Mr. Finn," Roderick Usher murmured softly.
Huck sat down at the table as Ben finished giving them his morals. "A healthy man or woman should always keep a schedule...otherwise they would go off in all sorts of directions and no work could ever be done." Hester was listening politely, but Usher seemed to have drifted off into another world, staring the teapot on the table.
From the kitchen came the sounds of pots and pans banging together and Gatsby's voice. "Please, please, it's alright madam, I'm full already."
"Oh no," a thickly accented voice replied. "You no full yet! You growing man, you need more food. Grow big and tall!" A pot banged against the stove as Gatsby emerged from the kitchen with a large bowl of steamed rice cakes. Behind him came a short Chinese woman with an apron tied over her turquoise sweater and beige slacks.
"Ah, Huck-lee-berry," she greeted. "I cook more food for you, no? You need more food than this big man!" She touched Gatsby's shoulder lightly.
"Um...thanks, Mrs. Tan, ma'am," Huck answered the old woman. Mrs. Tan had taken over the chores of the house ever since everyone had arrived at the mansion.
"Wait," Gatsby grabbed Mrs. Tan before she could go back into the kitchen. "This morning, the Raven arrived with an important message for us...everyone please listen while Huckleberry reads it."
Huck unfolded the note and was about to begin when footsteps sounded in the great ballroom on the other side of the dining room. He stopped and looked over at the door while it creaked open. A young woman appeared in the doorway, followed by a young man holding her suitcase. The girl wore an old fashioned lacy dress that came to her ankles, and her curly hair was tied back with a ribbon. She looked shy and modest as she stared around at everyone.
The boy who carried her suitcase had on fairly modern black pants with an untucked bright blue shirt which was unbuttoned to his collarbone.
Mrs. Tan smiled. "Ah! More children to feed! Eat, eat!" She gestured to the food on the table.
The girl smiled uncertainly. "Hello...my name is Mattie Silver...I've just come from Starkfield, Massachusetts...I was sent here by..."
"You received a letter, correct?" Gatsby finished. "Yes, we all did. Please don't be afraid. Sit down."
Mattie sat as the boy placed her bag on the floor next to her. He then plopped down next to Huck, who was poised with the letter in his hands. "Hey, up early?" Holden Caulfield asked him, poking him in the arm. "I had a heck of a time getting that kid's bag up here...it was about to burst open, I tell ya!" Huck smiled.
The letters were what started it. Each of them-Gatsby, Holden, and the others—had received strange notes carried by the Raven, requesting them to join an elite team assembled from all eras of time and all dimensions of space. Each of them had passed it off a joke until about a week after they had received the letters, strange cars or carriages would turn up, waiting to take them to their destination: Gatsby's opulent West Egg mansion in 1922. It had apparently been designated as their base of operations. Huck had been the first to arrive; then Holden, followed by Hester, Ben, Usher, Mrs. Tan, and the Raven, who apparently had delivered one more note.
After everyone had introduced themselves, Gatsby continued. "Welcome Miss Silver, to our little group. I hope you find it pleasant here."
Mattie smiled shyly as Ben said, "Well Miss Silver, you've arrived just in time. Wasn't the lad going to read the message?"
Huck was reminded of the note he held in his hands. He had been so absorbed in Mattie's humble beauty that he had forgotten about it. Holden chuckled as he started to read:
"Dear Alliance of Perspective,
Now that you have all been assembled: Mr. Finn, Mr. Caulfield, Miss Silver, Mr. Gatsby, Mr. Franklin, Miss Prynne, Mr. Usher, Mrs. Tan, and a'course my dear Raven—yer task will be made clear to ya. The reason I have brought you here is ta coun'rattack an evil force which is spreadin' through time'n'space. The imple-cations of this force are much to comple- cated to explain; the basic information will be provided to you. If you look out the window at this ver' moment, you will see a gift I have sent to you."
Gatsby moved swiftly to the window, Holden beating him to it and nearly knocked them both over. The rest of the group followed, cramming around the glass.
Tethered to the small dock near the boathouse was a large old ship, built out of wood with large billowing sails. It appeared to be built in the mid-1800s.
"Where did it come from?" Hester asked, fearfully. "It was not there this morn..." she shrank back.
"Do not be scared Miss Prynne," Ben comforted. "We are all quite puzzled..."
Holden had already become bored. "Keep going, Huck."
"Uh...oh! Right!" Huck answered, relocating his place on the page.
"The name'a this ship is the Pequod. It was built aroun' 1850 and was originally a whalin' ship. It will make a nice cover for yer expedition."
"What expedition?" Mattie questioned. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about this..."
"Is there more?" Gatsby asked, stepping over to him.
"Just a little," Huck replied.
"The Pequod is scheduled ta depart at one a'clock this afternoon. Please be onboard and the ship will take you to your destinashun. Fer this expy-dition, Miss Prynne will be yer leader. Yers truly, S.H."
"S.H...hm..." Usher muttered, sinking down into this chair.
"Who is he?" Mrs. Tan asked him. Usher didn't respond; he sat thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
Everyone looked at Hester. She stood there, surprised, as were all of them. Everyone had been expecting Gatsby to be their leader, if one should be named. "Dear...there must have been a fault in judgment. I would not do to lead this group."
"Nonsense Miss Prynne," Ben said, going over to her. "You will make a splendid leader."
Holden nodded. "Don't be scared, miss. It's easy."
Hester shook her head. "Of that I'm not too sure."
The group spent the rest of the day getting ready. Mrs. Tan cooked about twenty meals' worth of food and had Gatsby, Holden, Huck, and Usher carry it down to the ship in baskets. Ben took a mid-morning nap, and Hester and Mattie helped her unpack in one of the spare bedrooms. Hester's growing sense of dread was momentarily calmed. She looked upon Mattie as a little sister, and treated her as such.
At precisely 12:45 everyone was onboard the ship. Hester sat inside the ship's hold, flanked by Ben and Gatsby, who were attempting to calm her shaky nerves. Huck was fishing by the starboard bow, with Holden dangling his feet over the side. Mattie sat with Mrs. Tan, who was knitting a sweater for Ben out of green yarn. Usher peered over the side of the boat, looking to be sick as soon as it started moving. The Raven was perched on the crow's nest, looking eerily alert.
At one o'clock, the ship started moving. The wheel spun wildly by itself as the anchor lifted and the distance to the mansion started to grow bigger.
"Here we go," Gatsby murmured as the ship exited West Egg Bay, heading into the open ocean.
The ship had entered a thick foggy area and stayed there for the rest of the day. It was so thick they couldn't even see the water below the ship...only grey clouds, and dreary feeling penetrated their souls. Dinner was eaten in silence in the hold, followed by sleep on sleeping bags and hammocks in the hold.
Huck couldn't bring himself to rest. He kept thinking of the mysterious Raven, the eerie Pequod, and their unknown destination. All around him he heard the gentle noises of his comrades—Gatsby had a hammock near the window, Ben was on a sleeping bag on the floor, and Usher's hammock was tied up near the door. Holden was snoring next to him, unceremoniously hogging their blanket, of which there had been a shortage. The women slept in the captain's room, across the deck of the ship. Huck yanked the blanket back and huddled once again, fearful of the dangers their landing might bring.
"Caw! Caw!" Huck raised his head. The Raven...
"Hey, tell that damn bird to shut up," Holden requested, turning over.
Huck frowned. "I think it's trynna tell us somethin'..." He got up and opened the door. The Raven was circling over the ship, cawing loudly. "It wants us to get up..."
Gatsby, Ben, and Usher had all been awakened, as had the women. They gathered on the darkened deck, which was lit by a few lanterns hanging off the sides. The Raven continued its crying. "What it want now?" Mrs. Tan asked, looking up at it. "It angry? Sad?"
Huck shook his head. "Dunno..."
A feeling of ominous dread shot through him as they gazed up at the bird for a few minutes. Finally, the Raven stopped its crying and flew down to land on Usher's shoulder, ruffling its feathers.
"Master Usher," Hester began, slowly and uncertainly. "You are this bird's closest contact...what is it saying? What doth it mean?"
Usher stared at her before replying. "The bird has me as its friend, but it does not speak to me in words I can understand."
The ship suddenly stopped short, almost sending its passengers reeling into the ocean. It seemed to have hit a pile of rocks jutting out of the ocean. "Ah!" Mattie screamed as she flew backwards into Gatsby, who had the wind knocked out of him.
The deafening roar subsided, and Huck leaned over the edge of the boat. He strained to make out a few objects in front of them. "We done hit rocks," he announced. "That ain't all, though..."
The Alliance rushed to where he stood. At that moment, the ship's anchor dropped automatically, hitting the bottom of the shallow ocean bed. "My...it seems as though the ship wishes us to stay here," Ben noted.
By now it was clear they had crashed onto land. A thickly wooded area loomed in front of them, and the lantern hanging off the bow of the ship suddenly illuminated, giving them a clear view of a thickly wooded forest. "Caw!" the Raven screamed, dismounting Usher's shoulder and flying off into the wilderness.
Hester, determined, turned back to her comrades. "We shall follow it," she said resolutely. The others silently nodded. "But," she added. "Someone must remain with the ship...I have a feeling it shall not depart if someone stays with it, so it shall not be lonely."
The Alliance looked around at each other. Her logic was true, but no one wanted to be left behind in the darkness, all alone. "You all scared?" Mrs. Tan asked, peering at their faces. "If need stay with ship, I do it."
Hester nodded. "Thank you, Mistress Tan."
The old lady nodded. "It no problem. I stay knit Ben-jee-min's sweater."
Holden had managed to locate some ladders inside the storage area, and he and Gatsby lowered them down onto the rocky outcropping. Gatsby climbed down first, followed by Hester, then Ben, then Mattie, then Huck, then Usher, then Holden. Mrs. Tan lowered a basket packed with sandwiches and a couple of lanterns down to them. "Be careful!" she called as they set off through the forest. "It dangerous!"
The group tried hard to move silently through the woods, but to no avail; they were the noisiest bunch of people history had ever seen. Hester led the group, and Gatsby brought up the end. Hester, Gatsby, and Ben held lanterns, while Holden carried the basket. Mattie moved behind Huck, grabbing onto his shoulder if a noise startled her.
They had been walking for about half an hour when Hester stopped dead in her tracks. She pointed into the darkness. "Doth you see?" she asked, whispered, as if a yell might kill them all. In the distance glowed a soft orange light.
"Let's go!" Huck answered, and they hurried towards the light, happy to be free of the stifling forest. As they neared it the light grew into many lights, and buildings came into view. They paused as they came upon the edge of the village.
It was an old, rough town. Small wooded cabins dotted the land, with one or two drunken villagers stumbling about. Candles cast the soft orange glow onto the curtains, which reflected back. Hester gasped as they entered. "It doth seem to be my home...wait here," she ordered as she went up to a villager, a drunken old man wearing a straw hat.
"Tell me, good sir...what town may this be?"
The villager looked up at her. "It be Salem..." he answered blankly, surveying her "A".
"Ah," Hester replied, her spirits dropping. "Thank you." She briskly hurried back to her entourage. "We are in Salem, Massachusetts, a few miles away from my home of Boston."
"It explains where we are...but why are we here?" Gatsby asked, knowing she didn't know the answer. Before Hester could reply a distinct cawing interrupted the peaceful night air. The Raven flew over their heads and perched on top of one of the larger houses, looking steadily at them.
Hester looked back at the group. They rushed past the drunken man, who stared at Huck's muddy overalls and Gatsby's pinstriped suit. Holden had abandoned the basket at the edge of the woods.
The windows on the house were shut tightly. It was clearly the dwelling of someone more than an ordinary villager. Huck, feeling like he should be of some service, spotted a small door built into the side of the house, sloping outward. "Hey," he whispered, "we could get into the house that-a-way. Must lead ta the cellar or somethin'."
Gatsby stealthily crept up to the door and tested it. There was no padlock on it, and it creaked open perfectly. "Come," he motioned, calling them up to the door. Holden slipped down the staircase, with the rest of them following.
Ben paused before he went down. "I shall up here. If anyone notices us, I shall call out to you and warn you. As they say...a sleeping fox catches no poultry." He chuckled and closed the door behind them.
The bottom of the staircase was filled with the voices of people speaking. A large stack of barrels was piled at the bottom, and they huddled behind it, straining to hear the people talking.
"Parris, where is my money? You promised it to me."
"Yes, yes, thou shalt receive thy money when the time comes."
"Heh, I better, or you shall wish you were never born."
"Be that a threat, Master Walker?"
"It is, for I have evil itself on my side."
"I swear, stop that hollerin'. I'm trying to sleep here."
Three people inhabited the room at that moment. Huck peered through a crack in the barrel and saw three men, two sitting around a table while the third was settled comfortably on a bed of straw with a blanket thrown on it.
"Look, soon the world shall know of us, and when they do, thou shalt get your share," one of the men sitting at the table said, looking angry. He wore a pilgrim's black hat with a long jacket and puffy brown pants. His grey hair was tied back with a ribbon.
The other man stirred listlessly. He was wearing torn tattered clothes, looking to be from the early 1800's. "Hmph...fine, I shall follow your lead. It seems to be the only way."
The man appearing to be Parris smiled. "So, how goes your work?"
Tom Walker smiled craftily. "Good, good. I have swindled many of my clients, and stuffed my own pocket without getting caught. Just last week, I turned a poor family out on the street."
Parris smiled. "For the few months I have known thou, thou hadst always seemed to be a dishonest one. Are thou so sure thou shalt not pay a price for thy greed?"
Walker shifted uncomfortably. "Let us not speak of this."
Parris nodded. "And thou, Master Shiftlet?"
The man lying on the straw bed sat up. He was wearing a shabby tweed suit with a dirty white shirt and disheveled red hair. "Heh...just last week I abandoned some retard down by the highway and took her car."
"Good, good," Parris told him. "We seem a likely bunch to fool the world. As soon as we receive word from our master, we shall move to do as he pleases."
The other two nodded as Huck turned back to his group. "They don't seem ver' dangerous..."
Hester nodded. "But this must be what we were brought here for. We must stop them before they do any damage to any time or space."
Mattie nodded. "Surely..." She suddenly rose and walked boldly forward into the circle of light cast by the candle in the middle of the table. Holden tried to grab her skirt as she stepped out, but she pulled him along with her. "Gentlemen!" she cried, smiling broadly. "I have delivered them to you!"
Hester brought her hand to her face as Parris stood and roughly grabbed Holden. "Ah, Miss Silver...we are pleased to know our master's letter was received by thou before this scum could penetrate thy mind."
Tom Walker swiftly knocked down the barrels, revealing the rest of them huddling behind it. He swiftly brandished his musket and shot Gatsby's revolver out of his hand before he could fire a shot. "Come along, all of you!" he commanded. "Shiftlet, help me with them!" Shiftlet rose from the bed and took his gun out of his pocket, aiming it straight for Hester.
"M-Mattie," Holden stammered. "How could you?"
Mattie stared him straight in the face. "How could I refuse? All my life I've been treated badly...I was getting ready to leave my cousin's wretched little house when I received a letter from their master. It offered me everything the second letter did not...and I deserve to have everything. My master's letter gave me the instructions—join the Alliance of Perspective and gain their trust, then when they arrived here, betray them!"
Hester slowly shook her head. "Mattie...please..."
Huck couldn't take any more of it. He swiftly wheeled around and the kicked Shiftlet in the stomach before he could fire a shot, knocking the gun out of his hand. Gatsby retrieved his revolver and shot Walker squarely in the arm. Walker yowled in pain as he collapsed to the floor.
Hester rushed Mattie, slapping her madly. Her eyes fell upon a piece of rope, with which she quickly bound up the treacherous girl.
Parris quickly brought out a small pocket knife and held it to Holden's neck. "One step closer and the boy dies!" he yelled.
The Alliance paused. The knife was wrenchingly close to his neck...they could see a thin streak of blood running down. The door leading to the cellar was suddenly banged open, and Ben stood there with a hardwood cane, quick in his anger. Before Parris could react, Ben hit him hard on the head, rendering him unconscious. Holden rushed away, feeling the blood on his neck. Hester removed her apron and soothingly cleaned the wound. Gatsby and Usher quickly tied up the men and propped them against the wall. "You may delay, but time will not," Ben admonished as Huck grabbed the discarded guns and knife.
"Ugh..." Mattie moaned. "No..."
Hester stared disapprovingly at Mattie. "I thought thou were one of us...but thou chose to be one of them."
Holden gave Mattie a sad frown before turning to Ben. "Thanks Mr. Franklin...where did you get the cane from?"
"When I heard the commotion I ran around the front of the house and crawled through a window," Ben answered. "I found the cane by the door...these old bones are still good for something!"
Huck chuckled lightly before turning to Hester. "What should we do with them?"
Hester looked thoughtful as she stared at the evildoers, now beginning to come to consciousness.
"You shan't need to decide what to do with them, Miss Prynne!" an English voice cried from behind the door where Ben had emerged. At once a bunch of uniformed men burst into the room, dressed much like old-fashioned looking policemen. They were followed by a well-dressed young man wearing a plaid green coat with an odd-shaped hat. He went up to Hester and shook her hand. "My dear lady, you've done a splendid job."
The police were starting to pick up Mattie and others. "But...who art thou?" Hester asked.
"I, my dear...am S.H. The one who assembled you all." S.H. looked around at the astonished Huck, who was standing there with his mouth open. Usher stood there with the Raven still on his shoulder, Holden was grasping his neck and Ben and Gatsby were looking at him suspiciously.
"So these criminals have been apprehended...very good. Please come with me. Mrs. Tan has already been taken care of." He turned and exited, the policemen dragging the villains behind him.
Hester shrugged and followed, with the rest tripping after her.
A large vessel was hovering over the woods, silver in color and giving off a bright yellow light. It was about twice the size of Salem, and a silver walkway appeared as S.H. emerged from the house. The policemen and the Alliance climbed aboard, and the vessel immediately sailed away.
"Welcome, welcome," S.H. muttered. The inside of the ship was filled with various desks, all with people from different time eras seated at them. An old man with a peg leg, guided by an embarrassed-looking sailor, stumbled up to them.
"How's the Pequod? She doing alright?" he asked with his ancient voice.
"She's fine," Gatsby assured him, and the old man nodded and went back to his seat.
"Ah! There are you children! Meet Mr. Holmes? He very nice man." Mrs. Tan ran over to them, smiling broadly. Everyone greeted her, then settled in for what S.H. had to say.
"Now...this is our headquarters," Sherlock Holmes said grandly, putting his arms. "This vessel is called the Bounty Two. It is the central investigation building of the Bureau of Time and Space. And you are the newest squadron, our first North American branch!"
"Let me get this straight," Holden said. "We're...time travelers?"
"Yes, now you are...and your duty is to rid time and space of villains like Mattie Silver, although we had initially assumed she was good..."
"But why us?" Huck asked, stepping up. "How we diff'rent from ever'body else?"
"My dear Holden," Holmes continued. "How could you have captured those villains back there? Sheer teamwork, that's what it is! You yourself have optimism and a bit of insanity. You, Mr. Finn, have impulse and a general will to do good. Miss Prynne, your leader, has determination and good judgment. Mr. Franklin possesses years of experience and good advice. Mr. Gatsby has a contemporary influence and a soft personality. Mr. Usher counters with a serious disposition and a resolute mind. And dear Mrs. Tan adds a motherly element to the group with her sunny manner and great cooking. The Alliance of Perspective."
"So...we're all going to work together now?" Gatsby asked. "What about our lives? We can't just put everything aside for this..."
"On average, Alliances are in operation for five years. After that, its members leave and return back to where their lives left off...it can be done through time travel," Holmes explained. "So...will you join us?"
Huck looked around at everyone. "Well...I reckon I'll join in...but only if Holden joins too."
"I'll only join if Huck joins, and if Gatsby joins!" Holden answered.
"I can only join if Mr. Franklin does," Gatsby replied.
"Miss Prynne will the factor in my decision," Ben said.
"Oh, Mistress Tan will have to join as well," Hester smiled, chuckling.
"Oh! You know I not join only Rod-ee-rick joins!" Mrs. Tan grabbed Usher's arm and smiled.
Usher stiffly said, "I'll join."
The Raven cawed and stared down at its new family. It was going to be a very interesting five years.
The End...?
Note: Review please! I worked real hard on this!