Episode 3 - The Wanderer

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

The Lost Books

Angel of Aphelion - Three

Carissa stands in a remarkable study with a large desk and a spiral staircase to a loft. The room has a large semi-circular wall, and high windows light the room generously. There are instruments, artifacts and books, all kept with care. If ever a room felt like a hug -- this one did.

A book sits open on the desk. "Where are you, Rowle?" asks Carissa. She sees the chapter heading: "The Dark Lake."

ROWLE NOBLE steps onto a lakeshore. His jaw is square, and his face is pleasing. His hair flows in waves of brown and steel grey. If anyone ever tried testing this man's mettle, they probably regretted it. The sky is overcast and sunless. The water is gloomy and uninviting. He walks the short distance from a row of trees to the water's edge, where a long, narrow, wooden pier begins.

ASHA, a seventeen-year-old, stands at the end of the pier. Her long, black hair shines and shifts on a breeze. She stares, undistracted, over the lake.

"Asha," says Rowle, "I just wanted you to know since I didn't think you'd noticed that you weren't alone." "You're back," she says. He walks down the pier to join her. A warmth and presence in his eyes make her - and anyone he looks at - feel entirely seen.

"You look like a scholar. But you carry yourself like a man who's returned from a long war," says Asha as she gazes across the water. "Someone's taken my horse. I usually find him down here by the lake."

"You're right," says Rowle, "something's out of place." "I'm going to find him, Rowle," she says. "How long have we known each other?" he asks. "A while now," she says.

"Long enough?" asks Rowle. "Long enough for what?" says Asha. He nods to something behind them.

Several yards up a hill, the portal back to the Lost Books shimmers in softly dancing coloured lights. "What is that?" she asks. "A doorway," says Rowle. "Remember our talk about freedom?"

"My friends and I are having dinner soon. They're good people, and there's plenty. You should join us," says Rowle. "And I promise I'll do everything I can to find your horse."

"I think I was meant to be alone," she says. "No. You aren't," says Rowle. And he walks with her up toward the portal home.

In the desert...

Nether, James, K, Shen, and Eli see Dee standing in the centre of the highway as they ride their motorcycles back to the filling station. They stop thirty yards away.

"I thought you said there was no one in this part of the story," says K. "I didn't think there was," says tiny Eli.

Dee stares at the strange-looking group down the road. The massive purple beast. The grey-furred Satyr-like creature. And what appears to be a tiny figure who seems too small to be real.

With them are two men, one of whom is riding on the gas tank of the behemoth's motorcycle.

They park their bikes at the station.

K approaches her as if she were a bird that might fly away at any moment. "Hello, Miss," says K. "We've never seen anyone in this part of the story… highway… desert before. I hope we didn't startle you." K stops a respectable distance away from her. He gestures to the others that all seems fine, and they all walk up.

Nether, Shen, Eli, K, and James now stand shoulder to shoulder in front of Dee. She stares at them in wonder.
"Did you come from town?" asks K. "Do you know Mike's Garage? He built these bikes for us."

Shen taps James on the shoulder and hands him a water bottle. James walks up to Dee and offers it to her — happy to have the chance to get closer to this curious and beautiful woman — even for a moment.

And, standing there with the sun behind him, even as tired as he was, she found the symmetry of the man to be striking. But there was something else about him, she thought to herself. He seemed to inhabit a world of his own.

This made him more than a handsome man. To her, it made him a fascinating one.

She takes the water bottle, and her fingers touch James's fingers. And at that moment, the world around them changes, and the two find themselves floating in some grey otherworld. Adrift but connected at the point their fingers touch.

They can truly see into one another's eyes — that is — they can see a magical light that resides behind them. And as they continue to gaze into each other, it's as if they're waking up.

The spell of this beautiful moment is broken by a terrible sound. It starts like a moan, turns into a growl, and ends like a snarl.

It's a sound born from the dark. It causes James and Dee to pull back their hands from each other. And the two return to the desert and the sun.

James turns back to the group, looking around for the source of that dark growl.

"What was that sound?" asks K.

Shen signs to Eli: "what is it?" Eli signs back: "something growled. Something is here."

Nether picks up Eli and hands him to Shen. "You should go back to the library," says Nether.

Shen carries Eli into the glimmering portal. "Don't be far behind," says Eli as they vanish.

K turns his attention to a bewildered Dee. "You should come back with us," he says. "There's… a lot to explain."

Outside the Lost Books library...

A slender figure steps into the dark alley. It's Odette, a young woman whose years have not been kind to her. She joins Bale and seven other thugs.

"She hasn't come out yet?" asks Odette. Bale shakes his head. "I'm going to check on her. She may need help," says Odette as she walks through the group toward the library.

Bale grabs her by the arm. "Hey!" she shouts.

That shout reverberates through the alley, through the gap in the library's still-open front door, and up to Eli standing on the second-floor balcony.

Eli, alarmed, turns to Shen and signs as he says: "I heard a shout. The door!"

Shen runs down to the front door. He finds it open and peers out through the narrow two-inch space.

Shen sees the dark figures in the alley. "This is your last warning, Bale. Take your hand off of me," says Odette. Bale lets her go. "Dee wants us waiting out here," he says unflinchingly.

"I don't care," says Odette. "I'm worried, and I'm going to find her." Shen can see the look of distress on her face.

Odette tries to walk past when one of the thugs pulls her back and away.

Then, the sound of footsteps causes them all to turn…

Next to them stands Shen…

Odette trips and falls, face down, to the ground. She lifts her head, sees Shen's hooves, then his fur-covered deer legs, and shrinks back in fear. The group stares with disbelief that becomes... disgust.

The thugs surround Shen. Two of them pull out billy clubs.

The fright on Odette's face troubles Shen. He reaches out to help her up. Then he realizes, with a pang of intense sadness, that it's him she's afraid of.

Shen doesn't notice that behind him -- a club is raised.

Shen is struck. He kicks the man who hit him, sending the thug flying into a wall. But then, Shen is hit again…

In the second-floor reading room, Eli races up to the corner window.

He sees a COMMOTION DOWN IN THE ALLEY. He can see thugs beating someone lying on the ground as he focuses. Finally, he realizes that it's…

"SHEN!" shouts Eli.

Outside, the thugs leave the motionless body of Shen lying in the alley.

Unnoticed from the street, Eli pounds against the glass of the corner window.

Bale signals the group to follow him away, and they do.

On the far side of the Reading Room... In that dazzling burst of colours, K and Dee appear to find a frantic Eli.

In the desert, Nether stands alone, his back to the portal. Watching. Listening. From the quiet of the desert, he steps into the portal.

In the library, Rowle and Carissa rush into the main room. "What's going on?" asks Rowle, but there's no one there to answer.

The entrance door opens. Carissa turns and sees Shen trying to drag himself back inside.

"Oh, my God!" exclaims Carissa as she and Rowle run to his side. Rowle helps him in and closes the door. Carissa starts checking his injuries.

"What happened?" Rowle asks Shen. Nether arrives with Eli in his arms. James, K and Dee appear on the second-floor balcony to see Shen on the floor with the others gathered around. "Shen!" says K as he races down the stairs.

"Who hurt him?" asks Nether. Tears well up in Eli's eyes. "Outsiders," he says.

"How was the door left open?" asks Rowle.

James, walking down the stairs, stops.

Shen slips toward unconsciousness.

"I need you to stay awake, Shen," says Rowle.

"We have to get him…" but Rowle is already moving before she can finish."

Rowle runs to a bookshelf near the front counter and quickly locates a book.

Nether kneels down to speak to Shen. "Don't go. Please don't go," says Nether.

Rowle returns with the book. He drops to Shen's side, flips open the book and quickly finds a page. He leans over and begins to read in Shen's ear, so closely and quietly that no one else can hear.

Rowle and Shen are TRANSPORTED INTO THE BOOK.

Carissa carefully places the open book on the table.

"They wouldn't stop," says Eli.

Eli lowers his head, and tears fall. K, bewildered, places a consoling hand on Eli's head.

James looks over at Eli, then slumps down on the stairs.

Dee watches over all of them from the balcony.

All wait in the quiet of the Lost Books library, gazing at the book sitting open on the front counter. Little Eli stands with Dee on the balcony above.

Rowle emerges from the book amid the twinkling lights, and the group gathers in. "How is he, Rowle?" asks Carissa. "They think he's going to be okay," he says.

The room lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, God!" says Eli. Rowle continues: "They just need a little time."

Carissa puts a comforting hand on Rowle's shoulder.

Rowle hears something and looks down the hallway to his study. "It's alright," he says. "You can come and join us." The others grow curious. "There's no need to be afraid," says Rowle.

"I don't feel…" Asha walks out of the hallway, "...afraid," she says. "Welcome to the Lost Books," says Rowle.

Dee leans down toward Eli. "What's going on?" she asks. "Rowle managed to liberate her from her story. Like we did with you," says Eli. "It isn't always easy to do. Sometimes it seems…impossible."

Down below, Asha takes in the Library and its remarkable people and is filled with -- WONDERMENT. She stares at Nether. Then, she stares at Eli. Then she looks around at all the others.

"Everyone, this is Asha," says Rowle.

"This is what you were trying to tell me about?" says Asha. Rowle smiles. "Welcome, Asha," says Carissa, Nether, K, and Eli, each in turn.

James smiles at Asha, and the two stare at each other for a moment longer than expected. Rowle and Carissa notice.

"And Rowle," says Carissa, "this is James Sunday. James, this is Rowle Noble."

The two men shake hands, and James blurts out: "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm the one who left the door open." Rowle is surprised but moved by James's honesty. "The Wanderer," says Rowle. "I don't know what that means," says James.

"It's the title of your book, James," says Carissa. K steps forward. "And we have another new arrival," he says, pointing his cane to where Dee stands on the second-floor balcony.

"Hello, Miss…" says Rowle. "Dee," she says. "Dee, is that short for something?" asks Eli.

She doesn't answer.

"I'm sorry. This might not be the right time, but I was told you may be able to help me," James says to Rowle. "Carissa tells me you need to restore your memory, but your book is missing," says Rowle.

"Yes!" says James. "I... I'm just trying to remember who I am... who I was, and that little boy needs my help, but I don't know how to do it like this."

They all turn their attention to James.

"Boy?" asks Nether.

"My son," says James.

"You have a son?" says Eli smiling like a happy uncle.

"A son?" repeats Nether.

"How old is he," asks Rowle.

"I don't know, exactly," says James. "Five or six, if I had to guess."

"How is that possible?" asks K.

Rowle can see that James is getting overwhelmed. "Have you been to your old room yet?" Rowle asks James. "No," he replies. "I'd start the search for your book there," says Rowle. "Let's get them settled in, shall we? Carissa, would you help Asha? And K, would you help Dee?"

"I can show James his old room," says Eli. "Thank you," says Rowle. "Then, we'll all meet for dinner." "Oh," says Rowle. "Take care not to pick up just any of these volumes and read. Some can be... far more dangerous than others."

Carissa leads Asha, K, James, Eli, and Dee down a bright hallway that winds and bends pleasantly. They pass several doors staggered along the hallway, each unique in size, shape, material, and colour. Some have symbols. But each and every one of them is welcoming. Carissa notices Dee noticing the doors.

"Studies have shown that mental well-being improves in spaces that curve and bend, unlike spaces laid out in a grid. And unique elements also have benefits. I could imagine a little six-year-old girl pointing at any one of these doors and saying: 'I live there!' with pride — without having to see an address or letter or number. The shape of the world around us is influential. Don't you think?" Carissa asks Dee. "Yes, I do," Dee replies sincerely.

Eli stops at a tall double door of finely carved alder. "This is your room, James."

"And yours is this way, Asha," says Carissa as she leads Asha farther down the hall.

He pushes the finely detailed doors. They glide effortlessly to reveal a beautiful room with white oak hardwood floors and a high ceiling. There is a bed on the far wall, a table, shelves, and a wooden chest in the corner.

Asha looks back to see Dee walking with James through the door to his room. "I guess we're stopping here," says K, following them in.

James and Dee enter, studying the collection of intriguing items on the shelves: a sextant of pure silver, a long pipe that appears very old, a small, once tarnished cross, a flute, and seven small eagles carved from stone.

Dee gazes at the items on the shelves. She recalls the feeling of staring in the shop windows in Yorkville.

"I don't see any books," says James.

Dee walks over to the wooden chest in the corner and tries lifting the latch, but it's locked. "Only James can open that," says Eli. James walks over. He touches the latch. It glows with a yellow light, which is followed by a CLICK.

He opens the chest.

James is filled with a feeling of astonishment. The trunk is filled with precious jewels, gold coins, and diamonds the size and colour of pink lady apples.

"This… is mine?" asks James. "All yours," says Eli casually.

"A few hours ago, I couldn't afford an ice cream."

"An ice cream?" Eli says incredulously, exchanging a glance with K. "This is just what you keep here."

"What do you mean?" asks Dee. "Read the ledger," says K as Eli pulls a small book from its holder in the trunk lid and hands it to James.

"You have greater treasures than you can presently imagine, I imagine," says Eli.

James opens the book to a page with a bookmark and starts to read. "Out loud, please," says Eli.

James reads: "Down a corridor that ran deep to a room that was vast, limestone halls kept safe esteemed fortune." And as James reads, a flood of colours washes over them. And they are all carried by that wondrous transmission from where they were -- to where they are.

James, Dee, Eli, and K stand in a limestone cavern surrounded by great glass boxes of sparkling treasure.

"This is... mine?" James and Dee stare out over the massive, gleaming fortune.

In the main room of the Library…

Rowle takes a seat on a bench. He looks over at Nether, who stands like a proud tower at the end of the table. His lustrous fur of three kinds of purple, two kinds of blue, and one kind of green, has a sheen that seems to enhance even his impressive stature.

"What's troubling you, Nether?" asks Rowle. "We took James for a ride," says Nether. "That's where we met Dee." "I'm so happy you were able to bring somebody out," says Rowle.

"There was something with us in the desert," says Nether. "As if something dark had woken up."

Eli leads K, James, Dee, Asha, and Carissa to the top of the stairs. "Rowle, I was telling James about Palmer's Ridge," says Eli. "How about there for dinner?" "Anywhere you want," says Rowle.

At Palmer's Ridge...

A hotel, restaurant, and garden courtyard sit at the top of a great cliff overlooking a sea of clouds. Yet, the sky above is clear, and a banquet's wonderful aromas waft through the air.

A portal opens. In the dancing coloured lights, Rowle, Carissa, James, Nether, Eli, K, Asha, and Dee appear.

"That smells good!" says Asha.

They all sit at a large table as servers come by offering different delicious dishes. Then, with a "yes, please," food is placed onto one of the golden plates in front of them. Soon, every plate is full of scrumptious delights.

They eat.

K turns to Rowle. "Something strange happened shortly after we met Dee by the station." "The growl," says Rowle. "Yes," says K.

This catches James's attention. "Did anything else happen that was unusual?" asks James. "Like what?" asks K. "Did Dee and I disappear?" asks James. "Because for a few seconds it seemed like…." James looks up from his food and notices they've all stopped eating except for himself and Asha.

"What is it?" asks James.

"Did he do it?" Eli asks.

"Did I do what?" says James.

"Wander," says Nether.

"Can you tell us exactly what happened?" asks Rowle.

"I offered Dee some water and…" he turns to Dee. "You experienced it, too, right? I offered you some water and…."

"The world around you…changed," says Eli excitedly.

"Yes!" James and Dee exclaim at the same time.

"What WAS that?" asks James.

"You wandered!" says Carissa, "This is a good sign! James, you tapped into the abilities you had as The Wanderer," she says.

"Plane walking," says Rowle. "I remember the Old Watch saying it was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Do you want to give it a try?" he asks.

K turns to Carissa. "A book jumper and a plane walker. This could be something," he says.

Rowle leads them to the gardens that overlook the clouds beyond the white cliff face. Rowle and James stand in the centre of a square platform of marble. The others gather around the outer edge and watch with growing curiosity.

"It happened once before, too. When a police officer touched my hand," says James.

"What were you feeling when it happened?" asks Rowle.

"Anxiety?" says James.

"Interesting. So your anxiety put you back in contact with your power," says Rowle. "Are you comfortable calling up that feeling again?" he asks.

"I can try," says James. He closes his eyes and concentrates.

"Now shake my hand," says Rowle. James clasps Rowle's hand -- but nothing happens. "Do you mind if I give you a jump start?" asks Rowle? "Okay," answers James.

With a flicker, James feels a surge of energy. And in an instant...

Rowle and James find themselves floating in some grey otherworld. Adrift but connected by their handshake. The two men release their grip and return to the rest of the group.

"What just happened?" asks Asha.

"Why that place, James? Of all the places you could go?" asks Rowle. "The only thing there is... fear."

But James has no answer.

"Maybe that's the only place his fear would let him get to," says Carissa.