Dan Dan and the Noodles of Despair

The Great Library

It's a short walk from the lodgings to the library, a vision to behold as the night draws in and the tall stained-glass windows spill their coloured light into the surrounding gardens. The tips of the turrets crested in the orange warmth of the setting sun and the vaulted walls silhouetted in purple and indigo.

Striding through the entrance into an environment where he is entirely at home. Anaximander exclaims, 'We have three hours before closing time, three hours we must use wisely.'

Daniel follows into the yawning chasm of literature. A black and white checkerboard floor stretches to the distant walls, high oak shelves with books as far as the eye can see. Marble busts of Nobel authors and composers bookend each shelf. Their likenesses gazing silently through expressionless eyes across delicately lit reading tables and antique chairs.

Anaximander seems to employ a sixth sense to guide him around the library plucking volume after volume from the shelves and casting them into Daniel's open arms. Finding an empty table in the middle of the library, Anaximander assembles his collection and begins his search. Occasionally he asks Daniel to find a reference in a book or to scan a bibliography for references to particular authors. Nearing the end of the three hours, he slumps back into the chair, lifts his glasses to the top of his head and applies pressure to the bridge of his nose.

'I have found it.' he says in a hushed tone.

'You have?' says Daniel in surprise but never having doubted Anaximander's ability.

'I have found a reference to what I believe must be the blue key. It is mentioned in a description of the opening ceremony of the central taxation office building here in the central business district nearly 100 years ago.'

'That's wonderful' says Daniel at a volume above library limits.

'Keep your voice down my boy.' says Anaximander.

'I don't believe we can assemble the three keys without attracting attention, and with that attention will come questions and assuredly danger.'

Daniel settles back into his chair, the weight of realisation pressing down on his young shoulders.

'The record here describes a piercing blue light emanating from the keystone above the main entrance of the new offices when they were officially opened.'

'How far away is this building?'

'It is within walking distance, we should go there straight away.' replies Anaximander.

⦽

Arriving at the central taxation office in an older part of the district, it quickly becomes clear that the building is no longer fulfilling that function. Small and in need of repair its once civic facade is entirely overgrown with thick vines of Ivy.

'They raised enough taxes to build a bigger office, this one has not been used for years.' states Anaximander cynically.

In the absence of street lighting, the building is almost concealed. The pair slip inside the gate and walk to the entrance unnoticed. Daniel peers up into the Ivy above the main doors.

'I can't reach the keystone, can you support me on your shoulders?' he asks Anaximander.

'Climb up.' he says, cupping his hands into a footrest, his hesitation overpowered by his enthusiasm.

Starting at the side of the arch, Daniel struggles as Anaximander stumbles, using the Ivy to pull himself up, they lurch their way towards the centre. Clutching onto the stonework Daniel reaches into the leaves and vine to find a tile of cool smooth crystal. He starts to work his fingers around it to find the extent of its edges.

'It's raised above the stone, and it feels loose.' hisses Daniel.

Anaximander starts swaying from side to side as Daniel frantically trying to maintain his balance starts to work the object free. Prizing Left, then right. Then with much groaning and heavy breathing from his human ladder, they both swing violently to the left as Anaximander folds into a crumpled heap. Daniel plummets to the ground, landing on his back amongst the hard cobblestones.

At that moment, the Blue key slides out of the ivy leaves. With a faint chinking sound, it falls through the fresh night air landing in the folds of Anaximander's voluminous overcoat. Scrambling urgently forwards Daniel grabs it before it slides onto the stones, and rolling onto his side, clutching the precious key he breathes a long sigh of relief.

'It's safe.' he whispers as Anaximander fumbles to open his bag, eager to hide the key as quickly as possible.

⦽

Back at the guest house, Daniel washes the key in the bathroom sink, wiping away the decades of grime. The key radiates a dazzling Cobalt Blue in the elemental fluorescent blush of the room. Holding it up to the mirror and taking care to avoid the Blue light falling directly onto his face, he sees a shimmering Silver like rippling Mercury through the translucence of the crystal.

'It's not hard to see why people found this attractive.' says Daniel.

'Men are so easily obsessed by beauty, especially when it appears to have magical qualities.' replied Anaximander.

'Where is this obsession coming from, and where does it lead?' ask Daniel.

As if to reply with a demonstration Anaximander takes the key and places it on the table, then he takes a bottle of tomato sauce and a jar of mint jelly from the kitchenette.

'Imagine a two-dimensional equilateral triangle, and at each of its corners a light shining into the middle.'

Daniel nods as Anaximander places the key and the condiments to form a triangle on the table cloth.

'Now imagine one light is Red, one is Blue, and the third is Green, the three colours filling the triangle with their hue. As the coloured lights mix, the triangle is filled with all the colours of the visible spectrum. Between Red and Blue, you will find Magenta, between Blue and Green you will find Cyan, between Green and Red you will see Yellow. All the colours blending with each other, part of each other, adding to each other...and at the centre is clear pure White light, all the colours combined to create clarity.'

'Have you answered my question? I'm not sure I understand what your saying' asks Daniel clutching at the distant memories of his physics classes at school.

'The point I am making young Dan Dan is that wisdom is at the centre of the triangle, the colours combine to bring clarity and balance of thought, compassion and love. While at the extremities you will find obsession, ignorance, fundamentalism and fear.'

Daniel looks down at the key and the condiments. He reflects for a moment on what he's seen so far in Petrolgraad and Trumptonia. Anaximander puts the tip of his index finger into the centre of the triangle, lifts his eyes to meet Daniel's and says,

'People are meant to be loved, and things are meant to be used. The reason Trumptionia and Petrolgraad are in such strife is because things are being loved, and people are being used. The balance has been lost, and people suffer enormously as a result of that.'

'And this is what you mean by colour balance?'

'It is young Dan Dan.'