Escape from Paradise

Chapter 14: The Prophet

Even though Larry had lately become accustomed to surprises, the great white space inside the structure at the edge of the world shocked him. When Larry and William passed an ordinary doorway they found themselves in a room which defied all logic and physical laws, a room which stretched to all directions at least ten times the length of space the building occupied on the outside. At first, Larry thought that it might have been only an optical illusion or a holographic wallpaper but when he heard the echo of their wet steps, he realized that this obscure stretched space was as real as his flesh and breath. What made the place even more alien was the lack of objects inside: only two chairs and a table with a teapot and two cups stood two dozen steps away from the entrance. 'So impractical,' Larry thought.

William, it seemed, adored Larry's blank, stupefied visage. He sat on one of the chairs, placed his elbows on the table, entwined his tiny cooked fingers, and gazing over the apex of his bent hands, with a wry grin said, "Have a seat, Larry. Please. There are many things I have to talk with you about."

Larry did as asked. The chair was not of the common flexible type. It belonged to the opposite side of comfortability spectrum: it was hard and sturdy. Ignoring little monster's electrifying stare, skipping him as if he would be a bothersome statue, Larry observed the emptiness around him. More and more this table and two chair setup appeared like a scene on a theater stage where bright lights directed at the set erased the crowd for the performers. Here the lightning was uniform throughout the room but still, Larry sensed that it must have concealed mysterious objects, a giant still creature or a crowd since his mind failed to comprehend that a room of such size would exist only to contain such simple, insignificant pieces of furniture. His mind painted silhouettes of things of undefined shape and invisible observers hidden out there in the emptiness.

When Larry's eyes accidentally met William's, he learned that he required an excruciating amount of effort to keep them focused on the two deep black pits surrounded by bloodshot whites. The overwhelming energy coming from William's stare was out of this world and the eyes themselves were almost as two portals to another place which could suck one in and take his breath away. Larry asked inaudibly at first and then repeated, "Who are you?"

"A messenger."

"What message do you carry?"

William made a long pause and created an uncomfortable silence. Then, with the wry smile, he replied, "Have you seen 'After the World Ended'?"

"Yes."

"I've come to warn of this inevitable scenario."

Astounded by the answer, Larry said, "End of the world? In the Paradise. Impossible."

"It's more complicated than that, Larry, but you lack the knowledge to realize the full extent of the problem we're facing and for now such explanation will suit you."

"Will suit me?" Larry asked despicably. For the first time in his life anger rose from his depths, an emotion he had never felt before, a deep emotion that breathed life and strange strength into him. "Go ahead with your information or by God, I will– "

With an extension of his crooked hand, the little man interrupted Larry, then said, "What is God?"

"I– I– " Larry paused to think because he heard the word for the first time. What concerned him the most was that he had used the word himself. How could a word he never heard or used come out of his mouth? For a dozen seconds, he tried to remember or attempt to comprehend what the word could have meant and the answer was almost at the edge of his tongue, hidden behind a curtain which no matter how much he tried he couldn't pull off. With a disappointment, he said, "I don't know. What is God?"