Holes

Chapter 2: Reality

Something was wrong here the doorkeeper thought. She hadn't responded like the child she was. What had happened to her?

"Meda?"
"No, my name is Suzette."
"Your name is Meda, Princess Meda of Antrica. You're the youngest child of Queen Aven and King Mond."

She had lengthened the a in Aven. Mond didn't have long vowels.

"The rulers of Antrica,"she concluded. "You were born here in the castle."
"Castle? This is a castle?"
"Yes."
"I was born here?"

I fell silent, then spoke."Let me back into the darkness. I know I can't go home but that is back where I came from. I don't know this place."
"No, Princess. I'm not opening that door. Instead, I'm taking you to your parents."
"My parents are back there, beyond the darkness, in Paris."

I headed back toward the door.
"What do you remember of your life, Princess?"
"I remember Paris. I have no memory of ever having a life here."  I replied, my back to her as I moved away.

No memory? "Princess, you can walk up to the door but I'm Not going to open it. You Have come home."
"Your parents and your people, the Antricans, are going to be overjoyed. It was feared when you were carried through that door that no one would see you again. Meda, don't you feel you can trust me?"

I stopped and turned around.
"Yes," I answered. "I don't remember you, but somewhere inside I do trust you. Take me to see these people you claim are my parents. I want to meet them, to see if they Are, in Fact, my parents. If I resemble either one-or both I'll accept the fact that they are my parents."

A breeze had sprung up as we talked. It blew across the land spreading our skirts on it and tossing my hair.

The doorkeeper introduced herself. "I'm Captain Omira Dunn. I was the leader of the security force that guards the royal family until my brother, Adon, stole you and escaped. His act resulted in my demotion and removal from that position."
She pronounced their names as Me-dah and Oh-me-rah.

She said nothing more which gave me time to observe the land between her and the mountains. There were many stands of trees of varying sizes spaced across the land, 1 or 2 were larger than the rest.

That told me that the land had much in the way of water. The field around the visible base of the castle was carpeted with wild flowers.

In the seconds that passed as they circled the castle I found that the field surrounded the castle, lapping around the ramp that doubled back on itself as it climbed up the side of the castle.

The wind, which had been light, and steady, at ground level, mounted as they climbed the ramp. At 100 meters it was 20 kilometers an hour. At 300, 30 kilometers. That's where the entrance to the castle was located.

As they climbed I found a body of water that also stretched across my field of vision lay south of the castle. I knew an ocean when I saw one.

North of me my assumption was borne out. The plain had 5 watercourses crossing it; 4 streams of differing widths running west to east and what might be a river winding along the base of the hills farthest out.

There was a fifth stream running from somewhere in the hills to the ocean. It crossed the paths of the others. In it's path was a large village. It didn't look big enough to be a town.

I studied it on the way up and asked the captain if it was one of her centers of settlement. She affirmed that it was.

They reached the top just outside-what? There was no door! I remembered the way the door below had operated. I pushed my wind-driven hair over my windward shoulder and approached the castle wall. Even close up I couldn't make out a door.

I turned toward Captain Dunn. It brought the mass of my hair up over my opposite shoulder. I started to ask where the door was when it opened moving sideways!