Remember More

Chapter 14

­­­­­­­REMEMBER MORE

CHAPTER 14

With the large piece of stone moved off to one side, what was once hidden by it was now seen clearly beneath the light of the torch in Yan's hand.

It was a design, etched into the hard floor by some blunt instrument, perhaps the end of some metal rod. The design was simple, easy to understand. It was a circle and within that circle, was inscribed a large, flowing 'S'. Just like the one on the paper that Jonas had left back at the house.

Yan frowned. She pointed to the other clue left on the ground beside this first one. "What do you think that means?"

John was wondering at this too. He nodded.

Beside the design was a word scratched out with the same blunt instrument. All in capital letters, it read, 'EASTER'.

"Easter?" Yan turned to John. "What is he getting at? Did something happen to you guys over one Easter or something?"

John shook his head. He sat back where he was and breathed out. Bending forward, he tapped his finger on his chin and pouted. Meanwhile, without thinking about it, his other hand slid down past his thigh and began scratching away at his leg. And then his arms. Now it was in his arms too.

Yan wandered over to the other end of the room. She stepped up to the three flat stones that were sticking out of the one wall. Running her hand over these, she traced their outlines and felt the smoothness of the stone beneath her fingertips.

"These look almost like displays of some sort…" She started. She spun around to face John. "Do you think he meant 'Easter' as in some kind of 'rebirth', like a phoenix rising or something…?" She took a step in his direction. "Sir?"

John had not responded. He hadn't made any sort of sign that he'd heard her at all. His head was still bent. With his finger, he was tracing out the figure that Jonas had left in the stone on the ground. It was solid rock. Harder than any rock he'd ever felt before. And yet his finger fit into the groove in the stone perfectly, as if it had been…

"Sir?" She took another step closer.

He stopped short, jarred out of his thoughts.

"Sir?"

He looked up. He frowned in resolution. "Yan, let's go." He waved her in.

"Sir?" She picked her way over, stepping around the debris on the ground. She handed him the torch.

"Come on. We're running short on time as it is." He took the torch from her. "He could be way ahead of us by now."

She crouched down. She turned around. She loaded him up and onto her back. "But where are we going? Do you know where he's gone?" She cranked herself up onto her feet.

"Okay…" He bit his lip. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "…now, I admit, this is just a hunch, okay?"

She nodded over her shoulder.

"But off the top of my head, I know that yes, Easter is a time of the year, a holiday, bunny rabbits, all the rest of it, yes, but…"

"But…?"

"…but I don't think that's what it is. I don't think that's what Jonas was trying to tell us, because Easter is not only that. It's not only those things. Easter is also something else."

She nodded again.

"Easter is also an island."

~~~