The Pole Shift

Sean's Island

“There’s a man getting drunk under the trees, and another life pod is moored up amongst the rubbish on the far side, it’s like this thing but bigger, there are six people in it.” Janet was holding her ear, the crystal hummed slightly and it made her uncomfortable. At some point she would give it to Mnem, it was meant to be hers, but she had never asked for it. Mnem said:

        “Are they nice?”

        “Prophet won’t say, it says the man getting drunk has a crystal but he’s a write off, some sort of loser.”

        “Poor man! What’s wrong?” Janet didn’t answer but steered the boat to the opposite side of the island.

        “The ones in the boat are possibly preparing to subdue him, Prophet says the situation is fluid, I reckon that means it can change easily.” 

        “Janet I think we should get on the Island, perhaps we can make everyone be friends.” Janet had a flash of annoyance, tutting but not having an answer. They got close and found an upturned truck they nestled against. Immediately Mnem alighted, like a young cat finding an open door. She found sure footage even though the jagged path was precarious. Janet hissed at her to come back, but Mnem had gone.

***

Mnem dropped from the wall of ruin and into what was once a vegetable garden. A house was at her right, it’s tin roof strangely comforting. In the sky a star had winked open, but it was still light enough to see. Behind her she could hear Janet’s pursuit, she pushed on and found herself on the edge of a vast lawn that was starting to turn into a small meadow. The open area ran to her right where there was once a driveway but now travelled into a towering wall of Old World ruin. On the lawn there was a wheelbarrow, a fallen lemon tree, there were bottles upon bottles, and hundreds of cans discarded in a haphazard way. There were birds settling in for the night, and yet they squabbled. She felt their eyes and a vague sense of danger got under her skin. At the top of the hill, where she could see trees like ship masts, came the thud of a song. Instantly she crossed the lawn and approached its source. Janet had caught her up just in time to say:

        “No Mnem, don’t’!”

        Mnem strode up the lawn to the scene. Some of the trees looked like they had lit jewelry on. The corners of her mouth twitched in a smile. A piano started to play, and she paused confused, then she saw the laptop and the speakers. A TV cast a rectangle illume of standby. A voice joined the piano and started to sing about deep brown eyes and singing songs you might like. There was a man at a table, he was slumped forward and around were bottles and cans and something that smoked. Mnem felt some fascination, as if a deep story lay in the glow. Suddenly a figure got up and sneaked towards her, head very low and tail caught between legs, the dog licked her hand in the way a dog tries to make friends and Mnem knelt to meet the Labrador. The man was unaware of her, he started to bounce his leg as the song hit its straps, he grunted trying to sing along, raising arms to the trees as the chorus announced that ‘every-time I run, yeah, I keep on falling’. Mnem didn’t know what to do, the song continued and she raised her own arms to the trees, her body finding some of the beats, her face moonlike in its paleness, her dark hair falling forward in one plait. The man at last found some reason to open his eyes and saw her.