Chapter Six
I was disatisfied with the conduct of the character Candock and her descriptions of Luna Serenda, along with the fact that this chapter was uncommonly short compared with all the rest. So, I have revised and lengthened it, and many of the changes are in bold. The beginning is untouched.
Thank you for taking time to read this story--I hope you enjoy it. –Cahira Arjaeis
Alex came to herself once again in the surroundings of dark grey stone—but now the grey was lighter, illuminated as though by an unseen light—as there were certainly no windows. It was very odd, almost as though one of the walls, though retaining complete solidity, was translucent. Nothing could be seen through it (the wall on her left, opposite the doorway) but sunlight, and brightness. Somehow this led her to the conclusion that it was well past morning.
Everything was still very quiet, as it had been the night before—so she sat on her mat-bed for a while, looking around her.
Her brow furrowed as she noticed a pile of things in the corner of the room beside her—the hard objects she had taken out of her coat so that she could use it as a pillow.
She crawled over to them and laid them out in a colorful array:
A mechanical pencil, a miniature notebook, a pocket New Testament Bible (the kind that includes Psalms and Proverbs), a mint, a hair band, and a wrist watch.
With delicate touch she lifted the pocket New Testament, and, on a whim, turned to Psalms, chapter twenty-three—familiar reading:
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
It was good to know, despite this incredible journey, that some things would never change. With an awkward, wondering smile, in her mind, she thanked God, her Shepherd, for keeping her safe—and asked His guidance on what to do about Nihl. If all this was a fantastic dream, it was nice to know that even in the land of dreams, God was present—and she could find assurance from Him.
Feeling a little calmed, she turned back to the pile of things; her eye fell on the wrist watch.
All these belongings were things she had taken with her in the long plane ride to busy herself with—the rest of her entertainment she had left at the hotel before this adventure.
She picked up the watch and looked down at its face. The time read: 5:32 in large, digital letters (it was the kind of watch that has a digital screen and metal face, and band of links—so that one would think it would have hands, and make a ticking sound…)
She watched it for a few moments, and noticed that the time did not change. Concerned, she hit the date button, to see if it worked either… It displayed the same date as the day she had been in London—which was wrong, for now more than a day had already passed, and it ought to have changed.
She sighed, about to set it back down again, and then had a rather fantastic revelation.
Supposing the watch was frozen as long as she was in this world? Supposing it did not change, and no time passed, until she reentered London?
Considering the time records in the Chronicles of Narnia, this seemed like a trustworthy assumption.
She was still dwelling on it when a voice invaded her thoughts.
"Alowan—Alex."
Candock walked into the doorway, holding a bundle of what looked to be rather large, fluffy towels, her light blue, graceful Fae swerving in a slow pattern behind her.
Alex started up, noticing her Fae for what might have been the first time that morning. It was turning a deeper purple.
"Hi," she said. Candock smiled.
"Would you like to bathe this morning…?"
A bath!
How nice it was to finally feel clean again!
Candock had taken her through the many hallways, into one in particular—one covered with large, bright blue panels and strange, bright blue runes. They had stepped into one of the panels, and vanished, gone away—to a very wonderful place with great stone hills, covered with moss, and a steaming, heated waterfall. In the distance was the clan-Louz, surrounded by a dense forest of the great bonsai trees (Ogwatchu had called the forest "the Oubonzi forest" as Alexandra remembered).
Candock had left her to bathe in the warm pools beside the water fall, and gone to wash her clothes. When she came back, she delivered a silken kimono much like hers to Alex's disposal, to wear for the time that her clothes dried.
It was a lovely kimono, green, with glittery white, star-shaped patterns over it. Alex wore her hair in a ponytail with the hair band she had kept in her pocket, and was overall quite comfortable.
Finally she stood, bathed, dressed, and very pleased, waiting for Candock.
While she waited, she looked around her, eyeing distant scenery.
Somewhere far away she made out the shape of high, stone walls—and above them, a strange shape, like a little pagoda.
She was still eyeing it when Candock came behind her.
"Alowan, Alex. Are you all ready to go back, now?"
Alex turned around, a little startled, and blushing, because she had felt a tad jumpy since the mysterious note from the mute youth.
"Uh, yeah," she said, starting after Candock with a last glance over her shoulder. "What's that place back there?" she gestured behind them, and Candock paused, her light blue eyes straining beyond the rolling green hills.
"Hhn—that is Moon Hill—some call it Luna Serenada."
Alex's heart jumped. Moon Hill—that is the place in the note. Luna Serenada is a prettier name, though. I like it better, she thought, and walked after Candock, trying to be casual.
"What's up there?" Alex asked.
"In ancient days of perversion, it was a temple," Candock said gently. "But now it is a righteous place, there for one to receive the beauties of creation."
"Oh," Alex said, studying the place. "Is it guarded?
"Oh no," Candock said. "The gate surrounding the tower is just a walled garden. There was once a key that locked the gates—but now it is lost, and… it would be a grief to forbid such a wonderful place from others, anyway…"
They started walking again.
"So—who tends the flowers?" Alex suddenly questioned.
"Oh—no one," Candock said sadly. "They are all overgrown, none know what they need."
"What?" Alex asked, confused. Candock glanced over her shoulder, her Fae moving out of her line of vision.
"They are extraordinary plants," she said. "It was once said that they were magical, but, ah—I do not think it is so…" she smiled sadly, then began walking more quickly, up the green hill before them.
"Hm," Alex said, wishing she could visit the strange, forlorn-sounding place, no matter how much its beauty had faded.
Candock seemed to read her mind.
"Perhaps I can take you there sometime?"
Alex grinned.
"Cool!—" (and then, wondering if the people in this world new modern slang, translated;) "-I… I'd like that."
For a while they walked in silence. Alex listened to the faint, whispery fluttering coming from the Oubonzi forest before them, and watched her feet delicately as they tread on the bright, beautifully green grass. Her Fae twittered peacefully on her shoulder, for a moment, reminding her of Nihl. She tried to force the thought away for fear she would worry herself too much. There was a movement before her, and her attention was distracted.
Candock pulled a key out of the light blue folds of her kimono and stepped to the top of the hill before them, then turned to face Alex.
"Alright," she said, holding out the key. It was very bright colored, green and yellow, twisted perfectly, like a work of art by a master sculptor.
"What?" Alex asked, her face skeptical.
Candock smiled once at Alex, then took the key in her hands and rubbed it gently, then gradually more vigorously.
A bright light flashed before them, and then Alexandra felt a warm hand in hers, through which a wave of something bright and a tad stinging washed over her and, almost—or at least that was how it felt—pull her upward.
When she opened her eyes, they were back in the dark grey hallway that was covered with blue panels and patterns.
She glanced back at the blue panels somewhat incredulously as Candock led her away, then followed.
Perhaps green and yellow rings worked just as well as green and yellow keys…
At noon she meandered alone through the clan-Louz until she had come into the same dark hallway with the blue symbols all over it. The walls confused her; she could not remember which blue panel she had stepped through before, and it was a tad distressing. She was none too anxious at first, but then she began to imagine horrific things that could be on the other sides of the panels. It seemed as though they all ought to travel somewhere in the same world, so at least she could not probably get things too wrong by trying. She could not remember if Candock had used her key when getting into the panels, but she did not think so. However, she decided to make sure, so, just as she was reaching for a random blue panel, she thrust her hand into her yellow-ring pocket and pushed forward. The clan-Louz hallway vanished, and she was thrust upward into bright, green light. She dimly recognized the green wood as she crawled out of the large, dark green pool. Her heart was beating heavily; she was glad that the rings worked all right, but this was not where she had exactly wanted to go. Suddenly a wave of homesickness swept over her. What was her mother doing? Had time rushed forward while she was in the other world? Suppose they were searching for her! She glanced before her until she made out the pool with the crystals covering the bottom of it. The small pool beside it was the pool to home. But no, such an adventure was waiting for her, she could not leave, she was indebted to Nihl, the other world, the people there. She turned back to the dark green pool, put her hand in her green-ring pocket, and dove back in. It had taken a little guts, but she was back where she started. As she looked around her at the hallway, it seemed it had grown a little darker. Perhaps it was the contrast of lights from the green wood. She wanted to run and exclaim how she was back, but instead, bit her tongue and stepped forward, toward one of the blue panels, reached out…