A Fools Answer

The questions were asked so fast that neither Bess, nor Faydrin had time to even begin to answer the first question before the second and third were asked. Faydrin slowly walked across the room to the crude table near the entrance. Pulling out the seat that Bess had previously been sitting in, he gestured for Charles to take it. “Please, if you will but sit, I will try to explain what I know.”Relentlessly, Charles walked to the side of the chair. It seemed to Bess that neither man would sit before the other. Faydrin decided the stale mate was not worth the fight, and finally sat down. Charles eyed them both suspiciously, but accepted the seat he had been offered. His head was beginning to spin, and sitting down would at least cover the pain he was now feeling deep in his stomach. Bess propped herself upon the table since both seats were now being occupied. This earned her a scowl from her brother, but she simply ignored him. Faydrin figured the direct approach would be the best. ”As to where you are, you are in what is known as the ‘secret passage’. It is an underground system that runs from Finaria, to Shimmer.” ”So were in England?” Charles asked, trying to get the whole picture. ”England?” Bess was curious about what this word England was. This stranger had caught her off guard twice in such a short time that she felt she needed to learn more about him. Who he was, where he came from, who had trained him. Faydrin moved his hand to silence his sister. Shaking his head ‘no’, he tried again. “No. You were brought here by a triscone.” He paused for a moment, and reached into his pocket. “A teleporter of sorts.” He pulled out the metal shard that had begun it all, and placed it on the crude table. Charles eyes widened. “So you’re trying to tell me that this thing we found teleported us here? Where exactly is here anyway?” Faydrin nodded his head. “Well, from what studies I was able to do before they burned the monastery, Earth is about three paces from Shimmer.” ”Paces?” Charles asked. “You mean three planets away? Three dimensions away? What exactly are we talking about here?” ”Oh No, if Earth was that close, we would be able to see it in the night sky.” Faydrin paused again. He was trying to remember the right word Earth people used. It was just so hard. He wished he had spent more time learning other languages while he was at the monastery, but languages had not been one of his best subjects. If he had known then what he knew now, he would have taken extra care in what he chose to learn. “ Paces.” ‘Think’ he told himself. “I’m sorry, I can not recall the right word. It has been too long since I have had need for your language, that I just do not remember.” ”Okay, so we aren’t on earth anymore is what you’re telling me. That we have traveled through time and space using that piece of metal?” Faydrin thought he had finally said the right words, and this man now understood. He smiled and boldly nodded his head. “Yes.” He said to Charles who jumped up from the chair, and began looking around. Bess looked over at Faydrin as if to ask what he was doing. Faydrin only shrugged. Maybe this man was insane, and he should not have taken the time to begin to explain anything? ”Where is it?” Charles asked. “Okay guys, you can get up, the jokes over. Where are the cameras?” No one stirred. ”Cameras?” Bess asked. This was yet another new word. She was beginning to become more and more intrigued with this stranger. ”So what is this? Some kind of reality show, where you try to make a fool out of someone. Which one of these jerks set me up? Well, it won’t work!” Charles was yelling now. He couldn’t believe that one of his friends had actually tried to make him look like a jackass. How dare they. Faydrin was beginning to worry. “Please, sit back down. I assure you there are no ‘cameras’.” He paused to look at his sister, then back at the man who now seemed truly touched in the head. Charles was becoming more confused as the man spoke. His stomach pains were worsening, and he just wanted to go home. As the pain sharpened, he doubled over. Bess was immediately at his side. ‘No’, he told himself. He would never let a woman pity him. He tried to straighten up. If he could just reach the chair and sit back down, he would feel better. Putting his head in his hands to stop the spinning in his head, he heard Bess gasp. He tried to look at her to see what was wrong, but he could not even lift his head. “What’s…” Was all her could say before his head hit the table, and he was unconscious again. Faydrin stared at his sister. What had caused her to be so shocked? Bess had been looking at the now unconscious man. All she could do was point.”What is it Bess?” Faydrin asked in concern. It was not often that something made his sister show her emotions. He walked to her side hopeing he could see what she was looking at. “The four leaf clover.” He half whispered and quickly covered his mouth. Sure enough, a small four leaf clover was burned into the side of the unconscious mans neck. “No wonder he caught me off guard.” Bess began. Faydrin was trying to life Charles from his position in the chair. He was not a strong man physically. His strengths had always run in the magic department. Bess quickly lifted the sleeping guard, and carried him back to the pallet. Turning to her brother, she gave him a look that he knew meant…’What should we do? © D. RipkaCartwright 6/01/05