Episode 1 - The Angel of Aphelion - Beginnings

The Lost Books

Angel of Aphelion

James meets some new friends at the Lost Books library who try to convince him that they're old friends.

Written and Narrated by Rajiv Narang

Musical Score Composed by Rajiv Narang



Thank you for listening.

Keywords: fantasy, fiction, adventure, science fiction, friendship, story, action, mental health, mystery, Toronto, psychological exploration, self-discovery, fantasy fiction, supernatural

Transcript

Angel of Aphelion

Episode One

A single ray of white morning light falls softly on a black tattoo. The inky black image is of a terrible roaring beast. And as the owner's hand glides sleepily over it, the roaring beast depicted seems to move.

The tattoo is on the exposed arm of James Sunday -- a man unlike any other man you've ever met.

Just waking up, he stirs under a white sheet and opens his eyes but can't seem to shake off the grogginess of sleep.

He hears the sound of laughter somewhere in the distance. He gets up, inches his way to the door, and follows the laughter around a corner to a small sitting room. The sunlight is so bright he has to cover his eyes. 

Through his sun-shielding fingers, he sees Ready -- a small five-year-old boy sitting on the floor, reading a book, and eating a bowl of cereal.

Ready turns to James and smiles, and when this child smiles, it seems the whole world smiles with him.

"Good morning, dad," he cheers as he runs up to James. "I made myself breakfast." The boy buries his face in the side of James's leg, hugging him. 

"You were asleep for a long time. Do you feel okay?" asks Ready.

James shakes his head to say "No," -- but the boy doesn't see.

"I thought maybe you had a bad dream." The boy returns to his cereal. "Sometimes I dream of monsters." 

James feels his heart beating faster as his confusion now mingles with fear. Staggering back, he sees a bathroom and enters. 

He's struck by the sight of his reflection in a mirror.

"Who are you?" He asks himself. "Who are you?"

Ready steps into the bathroom. "Are you okay, dad?"

"Where's your mom?" asks James. "What do you mean?" says Ready. "You have a mom? Where is she? Or your grandma or grandpa?"

"There's just you and me, Dad? Why are you acting so strange?" asks the boy. Then, suddenly, a realization jolts Ready into action. "You're acting strange!"

A smile flashes across the boy's face as he takes off running down the hallway. James follows guardedly. "I'm sorry," says James. "I don't know, uh... who I am or what I'm doing here."

Ready comes running back, holding a letter in one hand and a phone in the other.

"You said if you were ever acting this way, I was supposed to give you these," says Ready. He hands the envelope to James.

It reads: "Give this to Dad if he's ever acting strange."

"You should probably watch the video first." Ready turns on the phone finds the video, and presses play. They both watch.

James appears on the screen. "Okay, I'm sure what you're feeling feels like a lot. But I'm here to help you." The on-screen James holds up a pad of paper and a pen. "I'm going to write a letter for you, and hopefully, you have it in your hand... when you see this." The on-screen James starts to write.

"First, your name is James Sunday, and this is your son, Ready." Ready jumps into the frame and waves. "Hi, Dad!"

"You have to get here," he says as he holds up the pad, "to the Lost Books. It's a library in Toronto. It should be no more than an hour's drive away. You have a car, and I've programmed the address already. You have to get there, James. I didn't leave under the best circumstances, but we have friends there who can help fix everything. However, this is crucial; you must not take the boy with you. It isn't safe for him there. You'll find some cash, a spare key for the Jeep, and my instructions in the envelope. Don't tell anyone else where you're going. Just get to the Lost Books, James. Alone. And I promise everything will be alright. Oh! I'm writing down the address for a room we always have available in the city and the number for a nanny service I've used before. They can watch Ready. You can do it. I believe in you."

The video ends.

"Road trip?" Ready asks. "Road trip," answers James.

They walk out of a small hotel carrying a single bag, get in a dusty Jeep, and drive.

The Jeep winds down the highway. Ahead of them -- Toronto.

They enter the city and drive down Queen Street. James changes lanes. "Is your driving rusty, Dad?" asks Ready. "I'm just distracted," says James.

A siren sounds from a police car behind them, with lights flashing. Both cars pull over. 

"Good afternoon, sir. License and registration, please," says the officer.

James takes his license from his wallet and gives it to the policeman. "If you just give me a moment, I'll find the registration."

The officer returns to his car. James locates the registration in the glove compartment, sighs with relief and steps out as the officer and his partner return. "This driver's licence is a fake, sir. Are you aware that that's a crime?"

"I'm sorry, officer. I truly had no idea," says James. "Who is the child with you, sir?" the policeman asks. "That's my son, I think," says James.

The words "I think" trigger the attention of both officers.

"What do you mean, you think he's your son?" asks the officer.

"Things have been... foggy... for me," James remembers the envelope and takes it out to show them. "But I have this," says James. "And I've been told I have friends there who can help me."

James feels a strange sensation tingling through his body. He sways off balance, and the officer grasps James by the hand to steady him.

In a flash, James and the officer see the whole world around them change, as if they, for a brief moment, exist somewhere outside of it.

On Queen Street, the officer lets go of James's hand and stumbles back. "Are you alright?" asks his partner. "Yeah. I'm fine," he replies.

"Sir. We're going to get you some help. But we'll need you and the child to come with us now."

They arrive at King James Hospital, a short distance away.

With Ready in his arms, James follows a nurse down a hospital hallway to an examination room. The two police officers follow closely behind.

The Nurse directs James into one of the rooms. "Mr. Sunday, the boy needs to stay with me," says the Nurse. "I want to stay with you, dad, please," says Ready.

"Could you please wait outside for me?" asks James. Ready reluctantly allows himself to be pulled away, and the exam room door closes.
 
James sits on the examining bed. A doctor enters, holding a chart. She greets James. "Mr. Sunday, is it? What brings you in today?"

"I can't remember... anything," says James.
 
The doctor puts the file down, her full attention now on James.

"I don't know who I am. I look in the mirror, and a stranger is staring back at me. I only know my name because of a note, a video, and that boy. Please, doctor, can you help me to get back to... being me?"
 
"When did this happen?" she asks, shining a small light into James's eyes.

"I woke up like this."

"Do you know of any trauma you may have sustained? Did you hit your head? Is it possible you had a fall or were in an accident?"

"I don't know," says James.

She examines James's head. "Any pain or headache?" 

"No."

She checks James's left hand for sensitivity: "Numbness or tingling?" "No," he answers. 

"And you have no recollection of who you are?"

"No." 

"What about the boy," she asks. "Do you remember him?"

"No."

"How do you know he's your son?" she asks.

The door swings open, and Ready runs in: "I want to go home," he says. The Nurse, angry, appears in the doorway. 

The doctor gives the Nurse a cautionary look. "We'll be right back," she says as they go.

"I don't like hospitals," says Ready.

James carries the boy out of the exam room. The Nurse and a hospital administrator -- a severe-looking woman, are standing on one side of the hallway. On the other side of the hallway stand two heavy-set security guards.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sunday, but the boy has to come with us," says the administrator. 

"What are you talking about?" says James. "In your present condition, you are unfit…." James interrupts her: "Unfit?" 

She continues: "Unfit to take responsibility for the care of this child."
 
The Nurse reaches for Ready, but the boy recoils, hiding his face in James's chest. 

The two security guards grab James by the arms, and the Nurse takes the boy. James resists: "What are you doing?"

"Dad!" shouts Ready.

James tries to take Ready back, but the two guards wrestle James to the ground.

"Let him go!" cries Ready. 

James sees the fear on the boy's face and tries to calm him. "I'm alright. I'm alright. No one's gonna hurt you," he says as he stops fighting the guards. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
 
James watches the administrator and Nurse whisk the boy away. 

"I won't let anyone…" but they have taken Ready.

Having returned, the doctor instructs the guards: "I want this patient delivered to the psychiatric emergency care centre in the L wing." A chill runs through James. He stares in disbelief at the doctor. "What?" he asks.

The guards stand him up. "Let them know that the patient requires crisis stabilization and assessment," she says.

"What are you doing? You can't keep me here! I haven't done anything wrong," says James. 

"I can hold you for seventy-two hours before I require a judge to issue a commitment order. Just relax. The PECC's evaluation might be more promising than mine," she says. 

Panic rifles through James. "What does that mean?" he asks as the guards pull him away.

James shouts at the doctor: "More promising... What if it's not?"

Desperate for answers, he asks the guards as he's dragged farther away. "What if it's not?"

They drag him around a hallway corner. 

It's nighttime. And, down a dimly lit hallway in a secluded wing of the King James Hospital, a sign reads Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre.

James, exhausted, sits on the side of a small bed in a small room -- more like a prison cell than a bedroom. A Specialist, a grey-haired man in his sixties wearing a long, perfectly pressed white coat, enters. With him is a security guard — a large older man with a surprisingly kind face.

"Good evening, Mr. Sunday,' says the Specialist. "I have some test results." He reads through papers on a clipboard. "your MRI shows no abnormalities of any kind. And, your blood work shows nothing out of the ordinary. You're in excellent health."

"When can I see my son?" asks James.

"I don't have the answer to that," says the Specialist as he turns to the door. 

"Wait. Please. There may be some people who can help me. I had a letter when I arrived," says James.

"Did you give their phone number to the nurses who registered you?" asks the Specialist.

"I don't have a phone number. I have to go there," says James.

"I'm afraid I can't discharge you," says the Specialist. "But I can have the police look into it."

James considers the idea.

"No," says James.

The Security Guard swipes a key card and the Specialist leaves. James slumps back against the wall.

"You've got to get it together," says the Guard. 

James looks up and sees him standing in the doorway -- his face only visible in profile as he gazes down the corridor.
 
He continues: "Your son seems to love you, and you seem like a nice enough man. They're not telling you everything. I've seen folks like you before. Folks who wake up and can't remember who or where they are. You will lose that little boy if you don't get it together. Anyway, if you think of anyone -- we can call..."

The Guard tries to smile at James as he leaves. The door locks with a heavy CLICK behind him. 
 
James sits, staring out the window, unable to sleep.

As it nears dawn, he sees a single star shining in the early morning sky. "Hmm. A star for the morning," he says.

In the dawning sunlight that follows, he sees his now dishevelled appearance in a small mirror on the wall. He goes over to it and begins studying his face and body.

He discovers the black-inked tattoo on his left arm -- the roaring beast, like some monstrous ape, baring its teeth with hands raised, ready to strike. The fearsome creature seems to gaze out at him.

"Terrifying," says James.

He runs a finger over the tattoo, and the image of the beast roars, sending James falling back onto the bed. 

As the tattooed image stops moving, a banner appears below it that reads:

The Lost Books, 81 Lethe, Toronto, Don't Forget Us

James is immediately gripped by what he sees. But then, the words and their banner disappear.

He touches his arm where the words had appeared, and the moment he does, the beast roars again, and the words reappear.

James feels a surge of hope. He goes to the door and knocks. Nothing. He knocks again.

He hears the door unlock. The Security Guard opens it. 

"I need you to see something," says James.

James slides two fingers over the tattoo, and the great beast roars ferociously, sending the Guard leaping backward.

"What on earth was that?" says the now-rattled Guard.

"I might be able to get some help," says James.
 
"From who?" asks the Guard, still trying to process what he just saw.

James leans in, showing the tattoo more closely.

The Guard, apprehensive, reads it aloud: "The Lost Books, 81 Lethe, Don't Forget Us... You should show that to your doctor," he says.

"Please," says James, "can you let me out of here?"
 
"Are you crazy?" says the Guard. "You're gonna get me fired."

"Does this seem normal to you?" asks James.

"No," says the Guard.

"Look, I don't think I'm a bad person. I just need a chance," says James. Have you ever just needed a chance? Please. Help me help that boy."

The Guard weighs the idea, glances warily at the tattoo, weighs the idea again -- and then opens the door. "I can't give you very long," he says.

The Guard steps out to the hallway cautiously. He points to the right. "Wait five seconds, then go." The Guard walks off in the other direction as James counts. "Good luck," the Guard whispers as he steps around a corner.

James slips out of his room and past a vacant nurses' station towards a stairwell. He runs down the stairs to a door that reads: "Fire exit only. Alarm will sound." James bursts through the door. The alarm rings. He runs.

James races across the hospital lawn. He reaches the street, stops, and looks back.

"I'll be back for you, Ready. I promise," says James. Then he goes.

In the hospital's children's wing, Ready lies sleeping in a bed. 

James walks with speed in every step. He sees a city street sign on a lamp post that reads: Queen Street East.

He stops a passerby. "Excuse me, can you please tell me where Lethe Street is?" The passerby points and James walks... and walks... and walks.

A tired James Sunday approaches a late-afternoon corner. It's an older neighbourhood. He looks up and sees "Lethe Street." "Oh, thank God," says James.

He spots an address on an old house: "79."

The next is a shop with the address: "83." Between the old house and the shop is a wide alley.

He approaches it. 

At the far end of this alley, he sees what appears to be a large "L." 

As the angle of his view improves, a building comes into sight with a sign that reads: "The Lost Books."

The building, made entirely of solid brick, has warmth. Five stone steps lead up to a double door, and a large stained-glass window sits over the entrance. And there's a tiny corner window on the second floor. Even in James's current state, he thinks it must be the most charming building ever built.

James stands there a moment transfixed. Feelings of hope and relief mingle in his chest. He walks up to the entrance and pulls on the handles. The door is locked.

He knocks.

Silence. He sits down, leaning against the building, feeling defeated for a moment.

Then, he turns to the locked door next to him.

Something unique about the door handle catches his eye.

A metal plate surrounds the double-door handles, forming a circle in the centre of the doors.

In the circle is engraved the word "Them."

James touches the letters. He feels a vibration, and the words glow with a yellow light. They rearrange as "Them" becomes "We." The other letters disappear into the lock with a heavy click.

He turns the handle. The door opens with a creak that sounds like "James."

James steps through the doorway into the library.

There are two levels. On the main level is a long white marble counter. Across the room from the counter are four long and lovely wooden tables, leaving ample open space in the centre of the room.

A door is next to the front counter, though it's closed.

Hardwood floors match the hardwood stairs that lead to a second floor with a long balcony. The wood contrasts courageously with the white plaster walls, and the ceiling is painted to look like the sky.

Most impressively, rows and rows of shelves are filled with books of various colours and sizes.

James is spellbound by the beauty of this place.

"Hello?" he calls out.

He doesn't use enough force to close the door behind him as he walks toward the front counter -- a small gap remains.

"Hello?" he calls out again.

He walks over to the stairs and proceeds up.

He reaches the top and can see down the long aisles of bookshelves to where they disappear into the darkness. 

James walks past a few aisles, then hears a faint, UNEARTHLY SOUND, like a whimper from something large-chested. He stops. All quiet. He walks past one passageway, peering into where the books disappear in the blackness, then another. He hears the strange sound again. 

He looks down the row from which he believes the sound came, walking toward it. Ahead of him, he hears shuffling. 

James breaches the darkness at the deep end of the aisle, and, as his eyes adjust, he discerns movement. 

He reaches out. 

A thin ray of light is shining from the stained glass window through the bookshelf two and a half feet over James's head. 

In that sliver of light, two large eyes open... and blink. 

James doesn't see them and continues to reach into the dark.

The creature looks down, sees James, and lets out a great BELLOW. 

James, alarmed, stumbles back into the light. The creature follows and BELLOWS AGAIN as it emerges from the darkness. 

The beast is the very one depicted in James's tattoo.

From the shadows rumbles NETHER STOWEY, a massive creature shaped like some unknown evolutionary line of great apes. In the light, his sleek fur is lustrous in three kinds of purple, two kinds of blue, and one kind of green. And it sits handsomely over his muscular eight-foot frame.

James feels a panic rush through his body, sending one clear signal to his brain -- run! And James takes off faster than he knew he could.

The behemoth pursues, bellowing as he reaches for James, flashing his impressive teeth.

James reaches the top of the stairs when Nether grabs him and pulls the terrified James in, squeezing him against his chest with his great gorilla-like arms as he lets out a much softer bellow. 

And there Nether stands... hugging James.