Oskar rode his bike rapidly down the hill toward the lighthouse. He knew where Eli was, but he also knew she was trying very hard to keep him from knowing. And he was afraid for her. And he was afraid of what she would do if he approached her. Would she just fly away and leave him behind again? And if she did, should he go after her; a pointless exercise since when it really mattered, she was so much faster than he? It had taken him days to find her, even with Hannah’s help. And she had been extremely difficult for Hannah to find, in spite of her greater talent in this area; they had never expected her to be so near. He really didn’t want to start over again, but he simply had to understand what had gone so terribly wrong. And why after all that had happened, had she picked that place to go? Did it mean something to her that would help him understand what happened, or was it just randomly chosen?
He reached out and, very lightly, touched her presence – so lightly in fact that all he could see was that she was still there, and still alive. Nothing else. He dared not do more.
He pulled up at the base of the cliff and after giving it a bit of thought, decided against using the elevator. If she sensed his presence when he made the change now, it would still be too late for her to leave before he reached her anyway. If Hannah was right, she was a long way from the entrance. In fact, he knew she was physically quite close to where he was right now. He pressed his hand against the solid rock face of the cliff, trying to imagine the twists and dips of the cave floor as it wound its way down toward the heart of the island from the sea side of the lighthouse rock. He sighed, then took off his shirt, slipped on his backpack and grew his wings. He rose up over the lighthouse, looped down over the southern cliff and dropped swiftly onto the grass lip of the cave. He retracted his wings and stepped quietly into the darkness.
Eight days earlier:
Eli was still laughing when she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She was a bit tired, but extremely happy and content for the first time in a long while. Einstein had made her day absolutely perfect, especially compared with those dark days they had all endured over the past month. She shuddered, then hastily put them out of her mind. “Remember we’re sleeping in my room tonight, Oskar.”
“Okay, Eli. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” It didn’t matter a whit to him at this point where he slept tonight, as long as it wasn’t without Eli. He turned around slowly and let the hot water play over his skin. It was just so relaxing he figured he’s stay for a little while…
Eli dried her hair, then flopped down on her bed, arms outstretched, and stared up at the ceiling. She hadn’t even turned the lights on, not only because she didn’t need to, but she just didn’t want to; tonight, her room was prettier in the dark. The exceptionally bright moonlight reflected off her zenith blue wall and flooded her with its soft aura, turning her sheets and even her normally pale white skin a soft blue. Mama would just love this, she thought to herself as she experimented moving her arms and legs around, seeing which positions caught the glow and emphasized the blueness of her skin the best. She knew Mama had finally taken up painting again, and she was so looking forward to flying with her at night on her art quests, just like in the old days. When she finally found what was, to her, the perfect position, she closed her eyes, idly imagining what it would be like if she were really blue, and waited patiently for Oskar.
Finally, Oskar had had enough. He realized that if he stayed in the shower any longer, he was liable to go to sleep leaning against the wall and wake up as a prune. He was completely relaxed now and his head was full of warm, fuzzy thoughts – the foremost among them, the glimpse Hannah had given him of their home in the forest meadow. He turned off the water, dried himself off and moved quietly down the hall to Eli’s room.
He gasped involuntarily when he saw Eli lying there, bathed in the blue glow that flooded her bed and spilled onto the floor around it. He hesitated a moment, then very carefully lay down next to her, determined not to disturb her, because she looked so perfect lying there like that. But she was more than perfect; she was stunningly beautiful, because, of course, he loved her – because she was beautiful. Because he loved her…
For quite a few minutes he watched her chest gently rise and fall with each soft breath, then finally, unable to stand it any longer, reached out and gently caressed her blue cheek.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
“Your…eyes are even bluer than you are,” he whispered, his head still full of the apparition he had seen when he slipped into her room.
“They’re always blue, Oskar,” she teased. She put her hand over his and pressed it gently against her cheek.
“You don’t have any idea at all how beautiful you are, do you? You’re – like one of Hannah’s fairies,” he whispered, so softly that even she could barely hear him.
“And you’re…beautiful too, Oskar,” she whispered back. Even though she had called him ‘handsome’ in the past, she had never particularly liked the word, especially with respect to Oskar, because it implied things – other things – that Oskar wasn’t. It implied something…completely formed; finished; complete—and old. And to her, Oskar was still a beautiful work-in-progress; perfect in his very incompleteness – kind and soft, loving and giving. ‘Beautiful’ is the first word that came into her mind that first night when he had caressed her cheek on the jungle gym, and she had never come up with a better one, no matter how hard she had tried. Oskar was beautiful and would always remain so in her mind. She kissed him gently.
“Do you want me to show you what it would be like if you were really blue?” Oskar teased.
Eli grinned at him and nodded vigorously.
He slowly and deliberately took her in his arms, held her up against him and nuzzled her neck. “You even smell blue; like blue roses.”
He felt so warm and nice, her sweet, gentle boy, whom she had loved since she first saw him in her dreams, back when she was alone a hundred years ago in Stockholm and the beautiful music had first raised her up and given him to her. Would he still be the same when he was grown up? Or would he become hard and cynical, cold and unfeeling, bored and uncaring, like so many other old life-scarred shadows of men she had met over the years?
He sighed and shook his head impatiently. “It’ll never happen, as long as I have you. I won’t let it. Remember, Eli; I’ve always promised you that I will be whatever you want me to be.”
“I like you just the way you are,” she whispered hoarsely.
He pressed his cheek against hers and squeezed her even tighter. And bathed in the soft blue light, they shared their love for each other over and over again, until finally they drifted off to sleep and dreamed wonderful dreams together.
§
Eli opened her eyes, stretched, kissed Oskar on the forehead, and slipped out of bed.
Good morning, Eli.
Hannah! How long have you been awake? She waved to her through her porthole window. Hannah, face framed in her own window next door, grinned and waved back.
I’ve been watching you two sleep now for almost two hours. You were purring! And every time Oskar squeezed you, you purred even louder. Like a squeaky toy!
Eli blushed. I didn’t!
Yes you did! You were so cute!
Well… Oskar and I…I mean…Oh Hannah! I’m so happy right now.
I know Eli. She grinned at her.
And it’s mostly your fault, Hannah. Yesterday was so much fun!
And none of it is Oskar’s fault? she teased.
Oh Hannah! I love him so much! Sometimes I can’t believe he’s even real. He’s so much better than I am.
No! He’s not!...I mean…
Yes. He is, she said softly. I have him, he’s all mine, and he loves me – but I don’t deserve him. I’m too selfish. I wouldn’t even be here if I weren’t selfish. Her past darkness and its burden of death was on her mind more and more often these days. She attributed it to her aging; to her growing ‘maturity’ as Papa had put it, but if this was what it was like to grow up, she wasn’t sure she liked it at all. Things were so much easier when she was 12.
Hannah was worried. They had had this talk before, she knew, but this time, it seemed different somehow. Eli seemed more solemn; more certain of what she was saying. In the past, Hannah had always felt as though Eli really just wanted her to talk her out of feeling that way, which she was easily able to do – but not more recently.
You don’t mean it! You’re everything to him! How can you say that?!
Eli looked up at her, startled. I…I’ve never heard you sound so worried about this before, Hannah. She smiled at her. You know me; it’s just talk. I just…love him so much right now, I can hardly stand it. And I don’t know why. Or what’s changed. She looked down at her feet.
Hannah smiled, then closed her eyes and, just to be sure, looked once again into Eli’s future. Their home in the meadow was still there. She breathed a sigh of relief.
§
“I think it’s the right thing to do, Nils. I never could understand why you were selling the place, as full of memories as it is.”
“Jeff, if you had suggested this possibility to me a week ago, I would have said you were nuts! But when Livia and I took our final walk-through with the buyer, and I saw the growth marks on Hannah’s and Jason’s closet door frames, and Einstein’s claw marks on the stairs, I looked at Livia, and …” Nils shrugged his shoulders. “We just couldn’t do it. The buyer was disappointed of course, and we’ll lose some money, but…it was worth it. Now, all we have to do is work out the details with the realtor. Sorry to drop this on you at the last minute.”
“That’s perfectly fine, Nils. It’ll give me a chance to come back in a few days to pick you up – in the new plane. You two will be my first passengers.”
“Don’t tell Jason and Hannah we’re doing this, Jeff. We want to surprise them. They’ve both been against selling it from the start.”
“Maybe you could bring them all with you, Jeff!” Livia said, excitedly. “And we could tell them ourselves! Unless you think they would be suspicious.”
“Offering to let them take the maiden flight with me in the new plane? Ulterior motives would never enter their naïve little minds. Just leave it to me.”
“We’ll stay too, Livia! We’ll all go to London tonight and celebrate. Oskar and Eli will be clueless, Jeff! I think it’s a wonderful idea. And as long as they’re all here, they can go through their things again and decide what else they want to take back to the island with them. And perhaps we’ll take the MG out of mothballs and go on a road trip. I’ll drive, of course.” Elaine winked at Richard.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He put his arm around her. “There won’t be a problem if we don’t go back with you today, will there Jeff? Will you have to modify your flight plan?”
“No, Doctor. I could, I suppose, but it’s really not necessary, and frankly, I don’t want to take the time. Remember, the original flight plan had both you, the Dawsons, and Jonathan listed as passengers, and I didn’t change it when Jonathan bowed out at the last minute.”
“Good! We’ll see you in a few days then.”
Jeff watched them drive off, smiled to himself, and walked slowly toward the Archaeogenetics hanger. He thought about how much he enjoyed his job in spite of some of the recent drama and the subsequent confrontation with the BbC. He knew it wasn’t only because of the kind, decent folks like the Dawsons and the Sandstrøms, and the respect everyone in the organization showed him, but also because of the strength and maturity of their children. He wasn’t a kid sort of person at all; he knew that with his lack of patience and his short temper, he would make a poor father. But these four, with their combined courage and humility, had won his heart. To him, they were perfect children. And after he heard the behind-the-scenes tale of the dinner the other night, he liked them all the more. He was impressed that, in spite of the recent turmoil in their lives, they could still enjoy themselves so much.
The plane was sitting on the tarmac waiting for him, and the hangar door had already been closed behind it. The Archaeogenetics’ fairy logo on the fuselage was bright and new, having just been added when the plane was repainted during their two-day layover. Since they were doubling the size of their passenger fleet with a new plane, he had personally overseen the additions to the old one. Archaeogenetics’ presence in the world of business was growing almost daily, and Jonathan had decided that their visibility in the real world would be greatly enhanced by having such a striking logo on their new ‘fleet.’ He walked around the plane, examining it closely until, finally satisfied, he climbed aboard, ran through his pre-flight check list, and settled into the cockpit.
He started the engines, waved to the ground crew, and taxied slowly around the hangar. As he turned onto the taxiway, something caught his eye; something…not right. He looked back at the hanger. The small service entrance door stood open – not normally an unusual occurrence, but quite unusual ever since security had been tightened after Sava liberated the BbC tapes in Sunderland. And the latest problems with Adrian on the island had ramped up their security even more. The hangar had already been secured before he got there. He was sure of it. This ground crew was supplied by the airport itself. He made a quick call to his chief mechanic and left a message.
As soon as he lifted off, he called Jonathan and expressed his concerns.
“You’re right, Jeff. The security team always double-checks the hanger after everyone leaves. And there’s an alarm system and cameras. Let me make some calls.
Jeff climbed to 5,000 feet, banked to the right, and headed NW towards Liverpool.
§
“So this is where you met Hannah?” Eli hopped off her bike and plopped down on the statue’s pedestal, under one of the Phoenix’s outstretched wings.
“Yep! And that’s exactly where she was sitting, Eli. Right, Hannah?” Oskar parked his bike next to Eli’s and sat down beside her.
“Oskar almost didn’t make it to me, Eli. The fog cut him off at the knees, and he almost lost his balance and fell,” Hannah grinned and sat down next to Oskar.
“Well…it was your dream, Hannah. That means it was your fog, too.”
“I couldn’t very well make it too easy for you Oskar. You might not have had as much fun saving me if it were too easy.”
“And when did you see our house? What did it look like?”
“We were down at the curve on White Road, Eli. Just above the village. And since it was dark, all I could see were the windows, all lit up and friendly-looking.” Oskar squeezed her hand.
“Good! So you didn’t really see what it looked like. I don’t really want to know too much.” Eli was relieved.
“Well, I could tell it was two stories, Eli, and had lots of big windows.”
“That’s still okay! I like two stories and I like big windows!”
Oskar looked at his watch. “Isn’t the plane landing soon?”
“You’re right, Oskar! And we’ll be able to see them coming from here. Hannah? Can you hear them?”
“No, Eli, I can’t. Now isn’t that odd! I should be able to hear them by now…”
“I can’t hear them either, Hannah,” Oskar said. “Maybe they’re running late or something.”
Hannah jumped to her feet. “Uh-oh! Sava’s really mad about something, Eli. He’s shouting at Jonathan.”
§
“How could this have happened without us knowing in time, Jonathan? The tape clearly shows them placing something in the wheel well – something Jeff could have checked if the alarm had gone off. They must have disabled it!”
“I don’t know, Sava. But I find it strange that, after taking the time and care to shut off the alarm, they left the cameras running and the service door open. It’s almost as though they wanted the security guard to find it, and check the tapes.”
“But only after the plane, which as far as they knew had the Dawson and Sandstrøm adults, and Jonathan aboard, had taken off!”
“So you think they wanted us to know? Before Jeff landed?”
“It certainly looks that way.” Sava paced back and forth. “Does Jeff have a chute on board?”
“It’s a jet, Sava. No he doesn’t,” Jonathan said, sarcastically.
“Maybe if he can stay in the air until it gets dark, I could fly up and…”
Jonathan shook his head. “Can you fly 105 miles an hour, Sava? That’s the stall speed of the plane. And we don’t know what kind of bomb it is; or even if it is a bomb at all.”
“What else could it be? Everyone but Jack and Henry was supposed to be aboard; the heart of Archaeogenetics, or at least the heart of this research project. They were probably counting on the rest of us to scatter in disarray, afraid of what they might do next. And the bomb has to be altitude-sensitive, Jonathan! They couldn’t risk a timer; the departure time was still up in the air until after they placed the bomb.”
“You’re probably right, Sava,” Jonathan sighed. “Let’s let Jeff know and see if he has any ideas.”
§
“Why aren’t our parents on the plane, Hannah? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t know, Eli. But Sava thinks the BbC put a bomb on the plane to kill them all on the flight home! But now it’s only Jeff.”
“Only Jeff? What do you mean?” It means that Mama and Papa are safe…this time, she thought to herself, and immediately felt ashamed – ashamed that she was relieved, even though Jeff was still in danger.
“He’s flying home alone, Eli. With a bomb on the plane that could go off at any second!” Oskar squeezed her arm.
“He’s all alone, Oskar! You and Hannah can’t even talk to him because he hasn’t had the shot yet. He’s all by himself!” Eli was suddenly frightened for him; and she wasn’t sure why.
“Sava and Jonathan are talking to him on the radio, Eli. He’s not alone.”
“It’s not the same thing! He’s alone!” Eli shouted, still angry with herself. And he might even die alone, and fall into the ocean, and be gone forever! Now that she had vocalized it, the thought terrified her; at least partly because if something happened to him, it would be her fault.
“Stop it, Eli! He’s going to be just fine. Jack and Henry are coming and they’re talking with Dad. They’ll figure something out; they always do.” Hannah was worried now. This was so unlike Eli.
“But what if they don’t?!”
Oskar took her face in his hands, “They will, Eli. I promise.”
The three of them stood together on the hill next to the Phoenix anxiously watching the sky to the south, as Jack, Henry, and Jonathan, together with the others in London, put their heads together in the communications room.
§
“Hannah? Can you see the future yet? Will the plane…”
“I can’t, Jack! I’ve tried! I can’t see anything, and I can’t find him in the more distant future either…anywhere!”
“Okay, Hannah. Jeff is going to circle the island at 15,000 feet until the sun goes down, then he’s going to attempt a landing. But first, Sava will try to intercept the plane at about 5,000 feet after Jeff depressurizes the cabin and jettisons the door, but he considers it a long shot at best. We’re still working on the details, so if you sense any change at all in the future, let us know immediately. Oh, and Jeff told me to thank you for trying, Hannah, but not to feel bad. We all knew it was a long shot. It seems that the outcomes of these kinds of crises are somewhat unpredictable, at least in your experience. Remember Eli and the fog.”
“I’m sorry Jack! I’m so sorry. Tell Jeff I’m sorry!!” The tears welled up in her eyes. If only I were older and more experienced, like Gudmund! But then she remembered: even Gudmund’s father was unable to foresee his own death. If he couldn’t do it, how could she? But I have to try! She closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and concentrated even harder.
§
Once more, Jack. Tell him to try it once more. Sava glanced behind him as the jet circled back and bore down on him once again. He waited until he could see the slight fishtailing and wobble as the plane approached stall speed; his cue to pour on the coal. He surged forward, wings pounding furiously, heard the roar of the engines, and counted: one – two three! He grabbed for the door, felt the sudden jerk as his claws connected and dug in, then he was suddenly tossed head over heels through the air, still clinging to a twisted piece of aluminum framing. Damn it! I just can’t do it Jack! I thought maybe I could brute-force it in spite of the speed difference, but all I succeeded in doing was tearing off a part of the door frame. He tossed it away disgustedly.
Jack sighed. Okay Sava. All he can do now is try to land. And all we can do is hope.
Sava spiraled down and began circling the runway. Jeff rose up to 10,000 feet again, jettisoned most of the remaining fuel, then swung out to sea, dropped into the flight path and descended slowly towards the runway. Once he dropped below 5,000 feet, he knew the end could come at any moment. He felt light-headed; detached somehow. He could see everything with an ethereal yet clearly-defined crystal clarity. He could imagine Jack, Henry, and Jonathan in the communications room, anxiously watching his progress. He could just make out the phoenix on the ridge where he knew the children were watching his descent. He suddenly wished they were somewhere else; anywhere but here. He couldn’t bear the thought of them seeing…
He watched the altimeter closely. “4000 feet, Jack …3500… 3000… 2500… 2000…1000 and holding…” he passed Arrowhead Island on his right and dropped quickly to 500 feet over the bay. “I’m still here, Jack.” He clenched his teeth, lowered the flaps, and grabbed the landing gear lever…
Suddenly Hannah could see the bomb in the wheel well clearly, a small unobtrusive black box fastened just beneath the near edge of the right wing in a small gap between the fuselage and the retracted wheel. I see the bomb, Jack!
Just as suddenly, she somehow knew exactly how it worked. She could see the battery, the small orange brick of Semtex, the detonating cord…she followed the protruding pair of wires to a small microswitch taped between two wheel struts. She saw the landing gear hatch open in slow-motion and the gap between the struts widen as the wheel slowly descended. She heard the click of the switch…followed instantly by a sudden flash of light which rapidly expanded, obliterating everything in its path…
Jack!!! Tell him to stop! Don’t let him put the wheels down!! She held her breath, grabbed Eli’s arm tightly, and with a dizzying change of perspective, saw them all standing together next to the phoenix through Jeff’s eyes, silhouetted against the moon. They felt the half-smile on his face as, for a fleeting moment, he allowed himself the luxury of thinking about how surprised they would all be when he flew them back in the new plane. They heard the crackle of the radio, Jack’s frantic voice…and he was gone.
Hannah screamed. A ball of light lit up the night sky, followed by a clap of thunder. The plane came apart in the air and chaotically scattered itself across the bay, leaving trails of fiery iridescence in the otherwise still, moonlit sea.
And Eli saw everything in stark, unforgiving detail—first through Hannah’s eyes, then through her own as Hannah’s brief journey into the future suddenly became the present.
The one thing she didn’t see, that she was so desperate to see, was his soul; the gentle soul that, with Hannah’s help, she had briefly touched for the very first time mere seconds ago. And that was the final straw; the one that pushed her over the edge into an old, familiar madness.