BoM ch.9 Finding Hope

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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see

Twas grace that taught…

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"Well, hello."

Jake stopped singing mid stanza to greet the stranger. It was odd. One moment he was belting out the song to emptiness and the next moment he noticed the old man. There he was, thin and bearded, with long white hair that reached his shoulders. He was just sitting on a rock, wearing loose-fitting robes, a leather bag over his shoulder, holding a notebook and a pen in his lap, and smiling serenely.

"Hello. Please don't let me disturb you. Do continue with your song. It was lovely."

"Well, I do appreciate the praise, sir, but I think I'd rather a little conversation, if you don't mind."

"As you wish." The stranger tipped his head in agreement.

"Who might you be? And how did you get here? Why are you here? And, I don't suppose you have a cheeseburger in that bag…"

The old man smiled broadly. "I am Lex. I am a mere traveler, a vagabond who wanders for no specific purpose. How I arrived here- well, that's a bit complicated and long in the telling. Why am I here? Well, I was drawn by your singing. You have a remarkable voice. And sorry, no. No cheeseburgers. And you… you are most certainly not Atlas."

"No sir, I am not. My name is Jake Stone."

"Ah. Jake Stone. You are a Librarian, then."

Jake jerked in surprise at Lex's statement and hoped that he didn't just cause a tsunami to take out Japan.

"How could you know that? Have you read the book?"

Lex chuckled. "I am intimately familiar with a great many books, my son. But I do not recall a specific story in which a Librarian was left to hold up the world. Perhaps you would share your tale?"

"It's a bit long in the tellin' as well. But I reckon you already know most of it."

"Do you? And how have you come to that conclusion?"

"You dress like you are from here. But that notebook in your hand looks like it came from a drug store back home and I am pretty sure these ancient Greeks weren't writing with ballpoint pens."

Lex threw his head back and laughed with gusto. "Well done, Jake! You are exactly as I envisioned you."

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage, since I have never envisioned you at all. Seems like you should be the one telling the tale."

"Let me ask you this first. Why did you take the world from Atlas?"

"I needed him to get something for me. Something that will get me home."

"And you think he can be trusted to return with this item?"

"I made him swear an oath."

"I see. Did he also swear to take back the world on his shoulders?"

"Nah, but I think I got that covered."

"Hmmm. Well then. I assume you are expecting assistance from…colleagues? Friends?"

"Actually, I am hoping I can resolve this myself before my friends do something foolish. I don't want them putting themselves in danger on my behalf."

"You obviously value these people. It is a great blessing to have such friends."

"Yeah. I guess I do. It kinda sneaks up on you, ya know? One day they are annoying coworkers and the next…well, more like kin. You love 'em even when they drive ya crazy."

"Yes, they are special, aren't they?"

"Yeah, Flynn- well, he is just about the smartest, bravest guy I know. Jenkins acts like he hates us all but I know we're growing on him. Eve would throw herself in front of a runaway train to save any one of us. Ezekiel is a snarky little thief. But he is also smart, talented and way more dependable than he would have you believe. And then there is Cassandra."

"Cassandra?"

"Yeah. She's really special. Smart. Sweet. Beautiful. And dying." Jake's voice cracked and he took a few seconds to collect himself. "Cassie has a brain tumor and not much more time to live."

"You should never give up on hope, Jake. Perhaps Cassandra's story will be rewritten."

"I don't really see how that can happen, but I sure do hope that...Lex?"

Jake looked around. He was alone.

Damn. I really am losing my mind. Been out in this sun way too long. Chatting away with an imaginary old dude. Hallucinations after only a few hours?

This did not bode well. Jake hoped he was right about Atlas honoring that oath. And he damn well better have his wits about him when Atlas did return.

Jake grimaced and shifted the heavy planet on his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and sang.

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind but now I see.

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Cassandra had seen Ezekiel angry. She had seen him frightened. She had seen him happy. But she was certain she had never seen this emotion on his face. She was not even certain what the emotion was. It was a disconcerting mixture of sadness, regret and a hint of shame. It distressed her to see it because he was her friend and because she knew she was the one who put that face on Ezekiel. If she had not had the poor judgment to take that book from its case, Jake would not be in this predicament and Ezekiel would not have experienced whatever happened in that book. Once again she had let her friends down. Seems like she had been making a habit of that.

Ezekiel looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"Sorry. I guess I blew it."

Cassandra could find no words of comfort, so she settled for resting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently.

Eve and Flynn eased silently into the chairs across from them while Jenkins took his place at the head of the table.

"Mr. Jones," Jenkins said, "perhaps you'd like to share?"

"I thought I was being clever. And I actually had the book. I had it! But I was so busy conning Hermes that I didn't pay any attention to what he was doing. There was a woman, and she was…well, she turned out to be Pandora and she released all the evil things into the world. And I did nothing to stop it."

Eve and Flynn glanced at each other briefly.

"Listen, Ezekiel," Eve said, "you know that's just a story, right?"

"It felt so real. It was real, I know it. I felt all the awful things. I felt the entire world change in a single instant and it was terrible. And then I fell and the book was open and I touched it. Stupid! I was stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have let you go, Flynn, because I really messed up."

"You didn't mess up," Eve said. "You gave it your best effort, just as I did."

"We will regroup and give it another try. We will get Jake back," Flynn said firmly. "Don't worry."

"It will be too late for them. All those people in that world. All those evil things unleashed on them."

"It's just a story! It isn't real-"

"You weren't there, Flynn! You didn't feel it! How do we know what's real? How do we really know? Those people think we are the myths. What if they are right? What if that guy Carron was one of them and we are just his story? Did it feel real to you, Eve? Your wound was real enough, I recall."

Eve opened her mouth and then closed it. She shrugged and turned away, arms crossed.

"I felt evil, pure evil," Ezekiel said softly, "and I helped release it into their world."

Cassandra took his hand in hers, and leaned forward until he had no choice but to make eye contact with her. She spoke softly.

"You just weren't there long enough. At the end of the story, Pandora looks in the box and finds one more thing. Remember? She finds hope."

Ezekiel looked back at her with haunted eyes, and gave her a brief nod.

Jenkins cleared his throat. "Mr. Jones, you and Ms. Cillian look like you both could use a break. Perhaps, some food and rest is in order."

"Excellent thought," Flynn said. "okay then, Jenkins, Eve and I will continue working on this. We need to approach this smarter. No more jumping in without proper intel. We need to do research. You two go get something to eat and take it easy for a while. We will let you know what we find out."

"Why don't I go make us all some sandwiches? We will all think more clearly once we have eaten," Cassandra said.

"Good." Flynn said. "Meanwhile, some research is in order. Jenkins, you gather everything you can on Carron. Eve, you and I will research Zeus. If the book is going to him, we need to know everything we can about him. Before anyone attempts a trip into that book again, we need a better plan."

"I'd like to help." Ezekekiel spoke softly.

Flynn regarded Ezekiel thoughtfully, surprised that Ezekiel would volunteer for research, which was certainly not his favorite pastime. "Fine. You can research Hera. She was the wife of Zeus. Okay, let's get going, everyone."

Flynn, Eve and Ezekiel headed up to the mezzanine to explore the stacks for reference books. Jenkins headed back to his office.

Cassandra walked with purpose in the direction of their small kitchenette but stopped once she was in the hall. She waited quietly, listening to the receding steps and voices of the others. When she was sure they were gone, she crept silently back into the room and approached the book.

It was hard to believe that something so beautiful could cause so much grief. Jake was trapped in there and probably in pain. Ezekiel was clearly suffering and Eve wasn't really herself since returning. Cassandra opened the cover and gently turned the pages.

"Cassandra! What are you doing?"

She looked up to see Flynn at the mezzanine railing with a look of concern on his face.

"This is my fault and I need to make it right."

"Cassie, no! No!"

She blinked away her tears, took a deep ragged breath and rested her hand on the open page.

"Nooo!"