Memories of a Life That Never Happened

Chapter 15 - Eagle Eye

The anglers were the first to realize the change in the air. It smelled stronger and saltier now. Pewter clouds clustered in the sky until there was no trace of blue left and the balmy breeze built up into a howling wind. 

Nicholas Chusters and the four kids descended the stone steps that led from the dirt road down to an ancient portal. It was bulky construction and its derelict steeple reached out for the treetops. This seemed to be the remnant of some long forsaken church. Besides the wrought iron gates and parts of its bordering walls, there was nothing left to tell the story. Maybe, at some point in time, the forest reclaimed its right on the land.  

There was one entrance, around which the enclosing trees now formed an impervious barrier. Nicholas swung open the pair of black cast iron gates, which Theo suspected were much newer than they appeared.  

"These seem like the doors to heaven!" Alan exclaimed. His head tilted upward where green met grey in dark hues.  

"That's the idea." Nicholas patted Alan's back, as a teacher would a diligent student. "Look." He indicated a painting on the inside wall. In it, a flaky Adam witnessed a faded Eve reach for the infamous apple.  

Before them, a path cut through the forest, winding to the right and circling a massive outcrop. To the left, the dense flora hemmed them in. 

The unpaved but levelled walkway was seven feet wide. Covering it, there was a ten feet tall arbor tunnel with vaulted glass ceiling. Golden poles and beams that imitated slender trunks and branches offered support. From the eaves, vine stems tumbled down, covering the open sides of the passage.  

Nick sniffed the air a couple of times. "What's that smell?" he asked his father. 

"Here," Nicholas scooped a spring of white buttons in his hand. "Is that it?" 

All the boys came closer and bent forward to inhale. 

"Hmm," Alan mumbled. "This is good!" He was the last one to stop sniffing. 

"It's going to get much stronger," Nicholas said. "You see? These are all buttons. This flower blooms at night." 

"What is it?" Theo wanted to know. 

"It's a kind of Jasmine. It's called Lady of the Night." 

"That's suggestive," Leo smirked. 

Their lot moved up the path until the boulder no longer obstructed the view. At the end of the tunnel, the trees retreated a bit and three white domes rose at the center of a clearing.  

A hoary Asian man with frameless rectangular glasses stepped up to them.  

"Mr. Chuster, can I have a word?" 

"Is that Ishikura?" Alan asked his friend quietly.  

"In the flesh," Theo told him as they surveyed the short, agile man. He remembered telling Alan how he often thought Ishikura was a ninja. The remark seemed to have stuck with his friend, brewing his curiosity. 

There was still something creepy about Ishikura, Theo thought. If there was such thing as a sixth sense, it made him feel quite unsettled around that man. There was not a single stray hair atop Ishikura's head to support Theo's unrest. Of course, that only gave him more reason to feel uneasy. Beneath that impeccable façade, something nasty had to be hiding.  

Nicholas wringed his hands. "Everything ok?"  

"It's miracle," Ishikura replied. "The sound team is making the final checks." 

"Excellent!" he said, stepping forward. "Where's our miracle worker?"  

"In the arena," Ishikura said and everyone followed him into the doorway. "They just finished putting on the last bits of decoration."  

The smaller dome was a reception of sorts. To the right of the entrance, there was an extensive, oval-shaped counter made of shiny Carrara marble. It separated the lounge area from the checkroom. Impressive white bouquets in silver vases adorned both ends of the counter. Behind it, a glistening voile screen hid from view several steel racks.  

"Wow. That's awesome," Leo elbowed Nick, cocking his head left.  

There, an identical counter served as the lounge bar. Backlights shone through a myriad of colorful bottles, neatly arranged on glass shelves. A young man was wiping and aligning crystal glasses of all shapes.  

"Wait for me here," Nicholas instructed. "I won't be long," he promised and then set off with Ishikura. 

Leo admired the grandeur of the facilities around him. "Dude! I have to give it up to your dad. He sure knows how to throw a party!"  

"Yeah, I'll give him that." Nick ran a hand through his hair, the other tucked in his pocket. "I can always count on the old man to impress the chicks. Let's check what will quench our thirst tonight." 

Snickering, Leo and Nick moved to the bar, leaving the other two boys to themselves.  

Theo had a strange feeling that someone was watching them. At first, he thought it was the staff. Yet, apart from themselves and the barman, who could not care less about their presence, there was no one else in the room. He turned his head over and again and found nothing but empty spaces.  

"Have you heard Ishikura saying there was an arena?" Alan asked his friend. Before Theo replied, he had already sneaked through the doorway.  

Theo was about to go after his friend when he detected movement on the checkroom with the corner of his eyes. As he swiveled to look, the translucent curtain was moving, but the room was empty.  

He hurried to catch up with Alan, grasped his friend's arm.  

"Did you see that?" Theo's eyes locked in the curtain, which was now still.  

"What?" Alan asked, following his friend's gaze.  

Theo released him. "I think someone's watching us." 

Alan thrust out his bottom lip and shrugged. "As long as it's some cute chick." He laughed. "Come. Let's take a look in the next room."  

What they found was a whopping dining room. Lavishly furnished, it followed the same color scheme as the previous. The size, however, was a different story.  

It was by far the largest one of the three marquees. Rows and rows of round tables circled the entire room and, at the opposite side of the room, the entrance where the boys now stood had a twin. A long and large path connected both doorways and allowed for circulation.  

"It seems all set," Theo assessed upon browsing around.  

"Oh my God!" Alan exclaimed. "Look at that!"  

He was staring up to a chandelier the size of an elephant.  

"That's fabulous!" 

Theo laughed at his friend, who was beginning to realize how off he had just sounded.  

Unable to pass the chance to pester Alan, Theo said, "And you say my novels are the reason why my mom thought we were a couple. Yeah, right! Poor Virginie. Does she know she'll share your attention with Jean-Pierre?"  

A typical French pout formed on Theo's lips as he said the boy's name.  

Pretending to be offended, Alan squinched his face.  

"How could I, when you purse your lips at me like this? You know what? I'd say you are jealous! Come here!"  

Theo had no time to dodge before Alan squeezed him on a tight hug. 

"Relax, I won't tell your mom," Alan pestered.  

"Hey! Get your gay hands off of me!"  

Theo twisted himself to get away from Alan. That proved more difficult than expected. Next, Alan started making mortifying kissing sounds. Theo laughed, which only drained his strength. When he managed to cut himself loose, his face was all red and sweaty.  

Once more, the feeling that they were not alone crept up his spine. He quit laughing and immediately squinted his eyes toward the far side of the room.  

This time, he confirmed he was not imagining things. Someone was there, sitting at one of the tables, quietly observing.