A ROMAN HOLIDAY
By Trynia Merin
Part 6
Bagel was miserable as she hid in the fruit bowl. She could hear Felonus and Canus arguing a few feet from their master's chair, and she was not sure of what to do. Maybe, just maybe she could use these two against Crumhorn.
"Hey you!" she called out, trying to make her voice. "Hey, you two!"
"Who is it?" asked Felonus. "If you're that mouse, you know that we're out here!"
"Canus, do you want somebody to harm your master?"
"What do you know, creature?" asked Canus.
"Crumhornus, the new inventor! He's really an evil magician, who wants to destroy Caesar. My friends and I are good Roman citizens and we only want to help save the Emperor!"
"You lie," Felonus snarled.
"Even if what you say is TRUE, how can a MOUSE know?" asked Canus.
"Because I know a secret, and I'm NOT a mouse, I'm a hamster."
"Same thing," Felonus snorted.
"I AM a hamster. I'm from… Palestine. I'm a… servant of the house of David. Crumhornus captured my master Danielus, who is really a roman sympathizer from Britannia. He used that name to track Crumhornus down. Because Crumhornus is an animal like us. He's deceiving the Emperor with a magic potion that makes him appear like a Man but he is NOT a man. Surely your nose must tell you he smells like a wolf. He's a wolf in human clothes!"
"Are you going to listen to this?" Felonus meowed.
"You, tell me what you know and now!" Canus barked. "If you are lying…"
"I swear by Jupiter I am telling the truth. May he strike me by a thunderbolt if I lie," said Bagel, hoping he'd buy it. "And I promise by my own god Elohim that I am on the side of right doings. I am here to help you. Because if Crumhornus gets his way, he will destroy everything as you know it!"
"So be it."
"Keep that cat away from me and Ill come out and talk to you…"
"All right. But if you're lying, you are Felonus' dinner, Hamster…" said Canus. "I swear by Mercury that I will not harm you."
"All right, I'm coming out," said Bagel as she slipped out and glanced up at Canus, who moved between her and Felonus.
"You wear clothes. You are an intelligent beast as we are?" asked Canus.
"Yes," she said.
"How can you be sure?" Felonus asked.
"She has the LOOK in her eyes, of wisdom. She is not like the ordinary beasts," said Canus. "So, you KNOW. And you say Crumhornus is a fake and an evil wizard?"
"If you let Crumhornus make his horseless chariots, then he will use that power to become Caesar himself and slay Augustus. He comes from a land FAR away where magic is far more then your GODS could comprehend. He wants to RULE the world. He would stop at NOTHING to become Caesar himself."
"So, he's a traitor," said Felonus. "How can you be SURE, hamster…"
"Because, can you risk losing your home if your master is in danger?" asked Bagel.
"She speaks truth," said Canus. "So what are we to do?"
"Find Crumhornus and help me free my master Danielus Magnus," said Bagel. "Please. If you value Caesar's life and Rome's future, you must help me…"
"Very well. Felonus, you stay here. I will go…"
"I will go also," Felonus growled. "To make sure you aren't lying, rodent."
"All right," said Canus. "WE wait till our master goes into his Triclinium. And then we go find Crumhornus."
"You can't trust her!" cried one of the crows as he burst from the wall. "She is a spy…"
"Shut up, Spyke," snapped Canus. "This is NOT your affair. You had best keep an eye on Crumhornus and make sure our master is safe… this hamster says that Caesar's life is in danger by an evil sorcerer who can be as a man or animal."
"But…"
"Silence, or I'll make a pie of you," Canus growled as he stood before Bagel. "Now, little one, climb on my back. I shall take you to my kennel where you shall be safe. As for you Felinus, if you insist on sharing the danger, we will meet when Luna rises tonight…"
"Very well, Canus," said Felonus as he bounded away and curled under Augustus' chair. The others were getting up to leave and go tot he baths in Caesar's estate. Soon the others were leaving as the sun began to set. Bagel climbed on Canus' broad back and hung onto his spiked collar as he bounded through the halls toward his kennel to wait. She thanked God that he would listen to reason. She only hoped Lori and Stan were all right.
***
In the time clock, Lori and Saul waited as the door swung open, and they gazed out onto a desert that was swept through with wind. They had landed in a barren place, and they were amazed at the brassy sun, which hung overhead. They were near a cave and several ravens were circling overhead.
"Where are we?" Lori asked as Saul opened the door and they strode out. He propped the door to the clock open. They heard a man whispering in a language that Lori didn't get, but Saul did.
"Wait, that's Hebrew," Saul said as he walked toward the cave. "It's a human, saying a prayer…"
"But the ravens…" Lori said.
"No look, he's not in danger," said Saul as he pointed to the ravens that landed. They carried bits of bread and meat in their mouths, and looked oddly at the two mice.
"Hey!" one of them shouted as he put the bread down. "We're here! Food!"
The man emerged from the cave, his eyes bright but his robe was striped and long like that of a Hebrew. His beard was streaked with some white, and his hair was long. He carried a staff in his hand, and he looked kindly at the two ravens.
"What have you brought me now?" he asked, looking as if he had not slept in days. There was sadness about him, as if he had seen much death and misery.
"Shalom," said Saul clearly. The man blinked as he picked up the bread and meat from the ravens, which then flew away. He saw two mice standing there, one with black and white fur, and the other with pure white fur.
"Shalom," he said, glancing down at Saul. "It isn't often I see creatures that speak the tongues of man. Have you been sent to me also?"
"No sir, we're lost as you appear to be," Lori mumbled.
"How unfortunate," the man sighed. "I am here because there is no other place for me to go. People want to kill me because of what I believe. I hope that you are not here to laugh at the only prophet of Elohim."
"No," Saul said. "Your God is my god."
"Praise be," the man sighed in relief. "If animals believe in Him, then I feel a bit of shame. I've been alone and praying for so long…"
"Have you," Saul smiled. "Well let me say sir, that I am HONORED to meet you."
"You've heard of me?"
"You are known in many lands," said Saul. "And don't worry. I'm sure Elohim has a plan for you."
"I know. It's difficult to believe, but if animals such as you can speak truth, then there is hope for men? Elohim has told me that there are still those who believe. And I am about to go. But you say you are lost?"
"We… are travelers," Saul said sadly. "I think it might be hard for you to believe, but we are from the future and we are lost in time. We have hardly a way to get back home… and we want to stop a madman from destroying history…"
"Hmm," said the man, who appeared to be a profit. "And that… box is how you came to travel through the ages?"
"You believe us?" Lori asked.
"When you are the prophet of Elohim, many things are possible," he shrugged. He picked up his staff and turned to look at a small village. "I was told to go there. Perhaps if you pray you will be answered as well. Sometimes it's that simple."
"Pray?" Lori asked slowly.
"Pray. Sometimes it's a still small voice. And you have to be quiet enough to hear it. I heard you didn't I? Perhaps Elohim sent you here for a reason. Why I do not know…"
"You can't fix time machines can you?" asked Lori half sarcastically.
"Sir, we just aren't sure what to do," Saul sighed. "This thing brought us here and we have no idea how it works. It's a machine, and we were trapped in it..."
"How were you trapped?" he asked simply.
"By the evil scientist… the bad man who wanted to destroy history as we know it, for his own gains," Saul said.
"Hmm. Well how did it know where to come?" asked the prophet, like a teacher who was trying to guide his students to the answer that was obvious.
"We tried changing some of the machine parts. But we have no idea where it works, or what runs it…" Lori sighed. "I don't think he can help us Saul. They haven't invented clocks yet from the look o things…"
The prophet walked over to the box and looked at it. He glanced at the ticking and swinging of the pendulum and shook his head. "Perhaps it DOES know where it's going, but you didn't ask it well enough. How can it know the answer if it doesn't know the right question?"
"Huh?" Lori asked.
"Maybe it knows where to go. You just have to give it the right… motivation," the prophet said as he tapped the clock with the end of his staff. "Perhaps if you simply got in and let it take you where it will… then it will take you to where you need to be. Worked for me. I was always ending up places I didn't want to go at first, but in the end, there were where I needed to be… to test my faith. Maybe yours is being tested in the same way mine is. Who knows?"
"Thank you…" Saul said as if this helped.
"Sir, this makes no sense…" Lori sighed.
"I have a place I must be," he sighed and shrugged. "Shalom, and Elohim be with you…"
"Shalom, Eliahou," said Saul as he bowed his head. The man nodded and walked slowly towards the village nearby. Leaving Lori to look at Saul oddly.
"Who was that?"
"Eliayahou," said Saul. "Come on, you don't know about him?"
"Wait you mean that was…"
"Yes," nodded Saul. "I think we should do what he says, don't you?"
"How could he know?"
"He's a prophet," said Saul as he led Lori back into the machine, and closed the door.
"Eliyahoo… you mean Elijah?" asked Lori in wonder.
"Yes," Saul said as he got on his knees. "I'm going to pray. Nothing else has worked, and if we can do something like have a miracle like meeting Elijah, the single most important man besides Moses in my faith and history there is SOME guiding force behind our journey…"
"Saul, is it that simple?" Lori asked.
"Please," Saul said. "Elohim, we're asking you. Make this contraption, which you're FAR more powerful than, to take us back to the 20th century?"
"Please," Lori said. "God help us, we need help. If you're there, can you please send us home?"
"Listen, could you please take us to where we need to be?" Saul asked. "We have to stop Crumhorn from destroying the future."
Lori and Saul got down on their knees, and Lori felt tears in her eyes as she whispered, "I ask in the name of your Son, through whom ALL things are possible. Please take us home. God, can you please make this thing take us home?"
There was nothing but the ticking of the clock, and Lori heard her own heart beating, and felt tears stinging her eyes. She felt Saul's hand slip into hers, and they both looked at one another. There was no dramatic change, only the still silence but she felt a bit better. If that hope was possible, then maybe they could get back home after all.
***
"You want me to open the door this time?" Saul asked as he swung wide the door.
"All right," Lori nodded. They did so, and saw themselves in a strange enclosed space, that looked like the inner workings of a roman house. She could tell by the mosaics on the walls, and torches flickered against the tapestries hung here and there. They heard the cackling of a man nearby as he poked and taunted some poor animals in cages.
"You poor fools. You have no idea. I was once a beast like you, but for my secret formula. And to be there, and able to understand my every word…" he laughed.
"I sense… him…" gasped Saul.
"What you mean…"
"Yes, it's him, we made it…"
"But this isn't the 20th century…"
"Shh," Saul whispered. "Listen…"
"You won't get away with this you fiend!" shouted a familiar voice. It was Danger Mouse! They heard Penfold, and as Lori moved, Saul caught her arm.
"No, let's find out what's going on…" Saul urged. Lori stayed put, and they propped the door of the clock open.
"Oh you poor fool. You can't stop me now, Danger Mouse. You'll watch as I seize the Ceasarship and storm sidereal centuries! All hail Crumhornus Caesar!"
"You'll never get away with it!" shouted DM.
"I already have," laughed the man who was Crumhorn. He unfastened the pouch from his hip and put it on the table. A few pills rolled out as he set DM and Penfold's cage on a high shelf, which was twenty human feet from the floor. There was only slick stone marble under the shelf, and nothing in the cage to make a ladder from. "And now I shall leave you to suffer silently…whilst I rectify reasons relating to my revolutionary research!"
"You'll be stopped!" shouted DM. "I promise you!"
As the human walked into the next room, Saul quickly moved out into view with Lori. "My mental senses tell me he's in the next room. So I'll be here monitoring…
"DM!" hissed Lori.
"Good grief!" DM gasped as he moved to the edge of the cage. He could see bits of lab tools, twine and other things lying about and the small vial of pills on the table. "Am I seeing things?"
"DM it's us! We got here!" gasped Lori. "But how are we going to get to you?"
"There's one way Lori. Crumhorn left his pills. You know the ones that change him into other forms?"
"Which ones?" Lori asked.
"Those on the table. If you can get to them… you might be able to take one and transform yourself into a human temporarily and then you can reach up and free us! And then one of you can fight Crumhorn and subdue him!"
"But will it harm her?" Saul asked.
"Crumhorn seems to be coping. It's only temporary…"
"But the pills are on that stool there…" said Lori. "Wait… Saul… can you fly?"
"No. I left my medallion at home," Saul said. "But if only we can…"
"If I can just… DM do you have any bits of cloth you can throw down?"
"Yes…" he said as he took his toga and tossed it down through the bars. Shredding it, Lori made a makeshift rope and lasso.
"We did a rope trick in the circus… if I can just lasso something… and use it to climb up…" and here she swung the lasso around her head, and threw it upwards not towards the table, which was four feet high, but towards the roman chair nearby. It caught around the end of the ornamentation, and she pulled it taught. Then she hooked her foot in one end and began to swing back and forth, higher and higher, gaining more and more height with each swing. Saul watched as her tail telescoped out, and brushed at the vial sitting on the edge of the table. Each swing brought her closer till she swung up and sent her tail pulling out to wrap around the vial. It dragged her tail down and she let it fall to the floor, the glass shattering.
"Saul, quick!" Lori cried. "I hear Crumhorn!"
Saul raced forwards and grabbed the nearest pill, opening the capsule and swallowing some of the beads as Crumhornus raced in from the other room. "What is going on… you…."
He saw Lori swinging back and forth on the rope, and snarled as he closed his hand on her. She sank her teeth into his hand as he grabbed her and he howled in pain, dropping her. She broke her fall with her telescopic tail wrapping around the chair rung, and letting her swing up and roll tot he floor unharmed. Angrily Crumhorn raced after her, cursing and shouting.
"No recourse wretched rodent!" he shouted as DM and Penfold looked tensely on. On such a high shelf there was nothing they could do.
"That's enough!" shouted a voice from behind as Crumhorn felt someone grab him and jerk him back.
"Impossible!"
"You think?" asked a loud voice. A handsome man with dark curly hair, olive skin, and a muscular body grabbed Crumhornus and held him tightly.
"You… who are you?"
"Oh, you'll not stick around long enough to find out!" shouted the human. "Lori, are you all right?"
"I am now," said someone as she stepped out from behind the shadows, wrapping a sheet around her body. She made a toga, and DM and Penfold gasped as they saw a woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes look at them, her skin pale and fair. A human woman who held a few ropes in her hands.
"Tie him up while I get DM and Penfold…"
"Cor… they're human!" gasped Penfold as Saul wrapped Crumhorn's toga around his body as a makeshift toga. He trussed the professor up with the ropes as Lori pushed the table by the shelf, and stacked the chair on top. After Saul finished tying up the human Crumhorn, she gestured to him to help her up. Standing on the chair with Saul steadying her she reached up and took the cage containing DM and Penfold inside and opened the door.
"Good work you two!" said DM. "Nicely done!"
"But what about him?" asked Saul, who was very handsome as a human man.
"We have to activate the homing beacon so Squarkencluck can send us back tot he future, and we have to destroy his workshop," said DM.
"But Bagel, where is she?" asked Lori.