The Eye of The Universe Read online

them, swirling around their forms so tightly as to make it impossible to see them clearly. But they were men, or like men, enough that the game would be like any basketball game. Almost.

  Beside me, Yaxun said to me quietly, “The game begins.”

  And just like that I became a witness to a slice of history that no one beyond those of us in that warehouse would ever know.

  It was a game played against beings that jumped higher than any human could and wove among the Panthers like smoke, taking the glowing ball from them easily every time they tried to throw it through the single hoop at one end of the court. But the demons weren’t playing for their home world, the Panthers were, so what they lacked in ability they made up for in purpose. That made the two teams equal in spite of the demon’s agility.

  The demons had an advantage I didn’t think the Panthers could overcome. Every time a Panther touched one of them, they were severely burned and had to be sidelined. Until there were no replacements available, after which the Panthers played with burned hands and bodies.

  All too soon, Sig was exhausted. All the Panthers were. But the demons seemed to possess boundless energy. The Panthers succeeded in keeping the demons from capturing the ball, but they couldn’t get it through the hoop. The keyhole.

  The Panthers played a close defensive game, never letting the ball get far from whichever Panther possessed it. No long strides when dribbling, no shots from center court because the risk of the demons snatching it from the air was too great.

  Sig concentrated hard, watching for a chance to make a throw. The demons never let it happen, keeping most of their team near the hoop.

  I watched Sig, reading his thoughts, as always.

  A cold knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I knew what he was about to attempt.

  In a Hail Mary shot, he planned send it across the entire court, over the heads of the demons guarding the hoop, and drop it through. Sig’s long shots had improved but that wasn’t saying much.

  He couldn’t possibly succeed.

  It was suicide.

  We would lose the game.

  We’d lose everything. Everything.

  Sig knew what I was thinking, what we were all thinking as it became clear what he was going to do, but he did it anyway. He went for it.

  He grabbed the ball. Went down on his heels for better leverage. Pushed hard off the gym floor. Rose higher than I’d have thought possible. And let the ball fly.

  It soared over the heads of demons who weren’t expecting this tactic from a team that had played conservatively until then. They didn’t jump in time. They didn’t snatch it out of the air.

  The ball flew across the court. And dropped neatly into the basket. And disappeared because it wasn’t a ball at all, it was a key that was now where it belonged. In a keyhole in a door that would now close and keep the world safe.

  I blinked and looked around. The demons were gone. As if they’d never existed.

  A while light appeared in the center of the court.

  The Panthers watched impassively as it grew brighter, knowing what it meant, knowing who it was glowing for. Their work was done, it was not for them. It was for Sig. One at a time, they gave him a high five and left, exiting into the cold December night.

  All that was left was for me to say goodbye, and for Sig to walk into that light.

  He stared at the light. Then turned to me.

  I ran to him. Grabbed him hard to keep him with me, even while knowing it wouldn’t.

  “I love you.” Husky, beautiful words in that voice.

  “I love you too.”

  Then his arms dropped and he walked slowly towards the light. No ceremony, just whiteness, growing and growing and waiting. For him.

  Love shouldn’t be like that. Love should be beautiful, a new beginning. Not an ending. I screamed. Howled.

  Yaxun put a hand on my shoulder.

  As I screamed, Sig stepped into that brightness and was gone.

  I turned to Yaxun. Accused him. “You didn’t stop him. You know what it’s like. You left your wife and children. How can you let it happen?”

  “It must be done.”

  “He’ll be alone.”

  “He’ll see and hear. He’ll know what’s happening. He’ll be witness to history, but, yes, he’ll be alone.”

  “It’s wrong.”

  “It’s the way it’s always been done.”

  “No! I won’t allow it!”

  “You can’t stop it.”

  The light was already starting to dim. Still bright but not as much so.

  My eyes narrowed. I turned to Yaxun. “Will the light hold two people?” As I asked, I was already moving forward.

  “Don’t do it.” Yaxun’s grip on my shoulder held me back.

  “Why not?”

  “It’s never been done.” But he didn’t know, he wasn’t sure.

  “You had children and didn’t want them going someplace strange. It’s different for me.”

  His hand loosened but stayed on my shoulder. “But …”

  I seized on his hesitation. “There is no reason why not, is there?”

  “I don’t…” I took another step. Yaxun’s hand dropped and I took that as tacit agreement that it might work. “It could be dangerous.”

  I paused. Turned. “I know.”

  “Okay, then, if it’s what you wish.” I took another step. “I wish you luck.” He raised his hand in a salute. I took a deep breath… and followed Sig into that white light.

  I found myself surrounded by white. Was this it, then? Thousands of years of nothing but white? But as I stood for a moment, getting oriented, I realized that it wasn’t all the same. There were shades of white. Where I stood was darker, almost gray and I was surrounded by swirling clouds of varying shades of white.

  In those clouds, I glimpsed… something. Or someone.

  I took a hesitant step forward. Then another, and another, until I was in a room. White, of course. Beyond were more rooms. There appeared to be no end to them. Sig stood in the center of that first room, getting to know his new home. He slowly turned around, examining it. He saw me. Drew in his breath.

  I ran to him and almost knocked him down, like the first time we met and ended up on the sidewalk. But this time he was ready for me, grabbed me and whirled me around and around until the momentum of our reunion was used up. Then he put me away and said, “You shouldn’t have come.”

  I squared my legs and put my hands on my hips. “I most certainly should too have come.” I looked him up and down, mostly up because he’s so much taller. “Unless you don’t want me.” Retreat was still possible. The clouds were still swirling, I could see beyond them to the gym.

  “You’ll give up everything.”

  “Except you.”

  “It’s different for me. Yaxun and I talked about it. He told me what it would be like.”

  “And you can tell me. You can show me.”

  “Go while you still can.” The gym was growing dimmer. Soon there would be no returning.

  “You’ll have to drag me.” I braced as he bit his lower lip. first in frustration, then something else. As I watched, his expression changed. A grin threatened to break out where moments earlier there had been storm clouds. “I’m staying.”

  He gave up. Let the grin come to life. “You always were a persistent little thing.”

  “Yep.” I was grinning too. We stood there as the gym disappeared, two people in a white world grinning like idiots.

  He finally spoke. “We can still be a part of the world in order to keep up with changes, learn languages and anything else we’ll need to know. But it’ll be… different.” Our new home stretched endlessly before us, room after room. In the room we were in, a large picture window looked out onto the gym, where Yaxun, waved to us, knowing we could see him.

  He headed for the door. Opened it. Turned to give us one last wave before s
tepping into the winter’s night.

  Sig took my hand. “A thousand years is a long time.”

  “Not so long.”

  Then, hand in hand, we went exploring to see what our new home was like.

  ###

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