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| The Return 5: Day 21 - the planet Belli |
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Things had returned to normal for Luke. It had been nearly three weeks since his “experience,” and he had all but forgotten about it. His lack of a habit for thinking had actually been something of a blessing in this regard. That was the nice thing about a low, or at least unpracticed, mental capacity. It’s not that ignorance was bliss, Luke reasoned. Rather, it was just simpler to be dumb. Too many choices can at best confuse one and at worst make one’s life terribly turbulent. Luke decided he didn’t like turbulence.
For these past few weeks Luke had avoided working in the Left Nut, where the message and that strange statue had appeared. He conveniently had rationalized that the Right Nut needed the greater attention. So, today that was where he was, working again on its upper floors. To stay busy, he decided stairwells needed to be checked for cobwebs and dust—a simple job—and all systems on floors 110 through 115 needed to be checked for proper function, making repairs as needed. It was a very uncomplicated task, especially since nothing ever seemed to wear out in this complex. Luke could stretch tasks like these out over three or four days or longer if he wanted. He had thought not so long ago that this repetitive cycle of chores was boring and unfulfilling. Now, however, he found he liked the methodical rhythm of his life. It was secure, unpressured, and predictable. The “experience”—whatever it had been—helped him see that.
Besides, he still had enough excitement to break the monotony. Following his last visit to the Left Nut’s center compartments, he had left his transporter parked in front of the Left Nut for several days, preferring still to commute by walking. However, on the morning of the fourth day that it had been parked there he discovered that someone had snuck up in the night and painted in lyrical letters the curious words “Black Arrow” on its side. He felt some healthy anger at the prank and had roundly cursed the kids (he concluded) who had done such a useless thing. But it was just a nuisance, really, and easy to fix. Opening the transporter, he pressed the “Self-cleanse: Exterior” button on the control panel; and the word was gone. That was all. He then simply had taken the transporter home that evening. Problem solved.
Ever since then nothing had occurred to disrupt his comfortable routine. Now, today, lunch time found him working within the environmental systems room on the Right Nut’s 104th floor. The location was close to the outer edge of the floor, on the side facing inward across the courtyard towards the Left Nut. Exiting the systems room, and not a little hungry, he shouldered his tool kit and considered his options. The closest food transmogrifiers were on the 90th floor, some fourteen flights downstairs. From where he stood it was over 1,000 feet across the floor and through several rooms to the lift core at the center of the building. But on the other hand, it was only about 100 feet to the closest stairwell. To be different, he chose the latter, deciding it also would be just as fast, perhaps faster, to take the stairs as opposed to the lifts.
He saw it first as he descended the stairs and passed the 102nd floor stairwell window. It was out of the corner of his eye, and he chose to ignore it. He closed his eyes as he descended past the window on the 101stth. He didn’t want to see what he was now sure he saw. At the 99th floor, then again past the window on the 100 floor stairwell he could resist no longer. He stopped at the landing and peered cautiously out the window toward the Left Nut.
“Damn it,” he muttered aloud.
Looking out the window and across the courtyard, roughly level to his view, perhaps a little higher, Luke could see a familiar bluish light glowing from the windows ringing one of the floors of the Left Nut. Not again, he thought. He stared at it for long moments. He knew it was the 101st floor. He also knew that now he had another choice that he didn’t want to make. The light had to be investigated, and he was afraid of what he might find.
But first he chose something else he was prone to do: he procrastinated. After all, he was still hungry, and no one wants to explore the unknown on an empty stomach. He proceeded down to the Right Nut’s 90th floor and stopped long enough at the transmogrifiers to manufacture a Roo steak sandwich with a Faux scotch to drink. They were his favorites; and they went down well, sort of like a last meal. The pause for lunch also gave him time to bolster his courage. Finally, he could delay no longer. He crumbled the remains of his lunch in the Discarder, straightened up, paused to take a deep breath, then strode firmly toward the exits. He knew in his soul that his confidence was only in appearance.
Exactly thirty-two and a half minutes later, Luke cleared his ears as Lift Number 8 coasted to a stop at the Left Nut’s 101st floor. He impulsively pressed himself against the lift’s side wall as the doors silently opened. The bluish glow softly lit up the interior of the lift. Luke did not look out onto the floor. Yet.
“Hello!” he shouted. Silence. Then louder, “Hello!” Still no answer. Bolstering his courage, yet barely breathing, he stepped onto the floor, stopped and just stared. In front of him, the message was again on the facing wall, the same as before.
Dirty word, Luke thought. It’s happening again.
Luke’s mind raced, reviewing what had happened the last time he was here. The blue light: the same. The message: also the same. The statue? Yes, no wait. There was no statue. The compartments were all the same as they had always been. How did the statue appear? The card? Yes, the card. For three weeks now Luke had kept the blank card with him, sort of as a charm. Rummaging in his pockets, he found it and pulled it out. He hoped it was still blank, but knew it wouldn’t be. Looking at it, it read once again: Point left.
Luke sighed and pointed the card to the left. The compartments again did their now familiar dance, opening to reveal once more the 8-foot statue. Luke paused as his shoulders slumped. After a moment, he dragged himself over, stood, and looked up at the statue.
“OK, asshole. Now what?” Luke really was tired of these games.
“PRESS THE
“Ok. Ok,” he said, much subdued. He looked at the card and saw now a green glowing dot in place of the previously printed instruction. This odd change surprised him, but he didn’t hesitate. He pressed the dot.
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