CHAPTER 1

I come from a family noted for the vividness of its imagination and the intensity of its passions. I've been called mad, but the question hasn't been settled on the dividing line between insanity and genius. Who can say whether madness isn't the loftiest intelligence; whether much that is glorious in art, all that is profound in philosophy, doesn't come from a diseased mind. Mightn't the exalted moods of genius be a cancer growing at the expense of general intellect?

My madness occurs in my mind. It is transferred to my fingers where it becomes known to the world through my words. But I am restrained. The world will not accept all my mind sees. I wander far on flights of fancy, but they are real to me. I stand on distant worlds not yet seen by my people. I live and breathe with my alien friends as they fight their fights or meet their lovers. I am one with them, a member of their present.

Yet I am earth bound.

I live in a body that ages, but my mind is still young.

I seek the elixir of eternal life, with a body that will keep in pace with the virility of my mind, but such isn't available in my time.

And now I dream.

The dreams grow stronger and increase in frequency, but the dreams remain the same. It's as if some being from a distant planet seeks to make contact.

The dreams grow more demanding every day. I can't resist.

I feel the sand of the Red Desert. It stings my face, made raw by the burning suns of this strange world. There are two suns burning down on me. They chase each other across the sky, one closely following the other until they hide below the horizon, but the night with its cooling respite is brief. The desert is flat. I can see far into the distance. The hills are afar, shimmering on the horizon. I won't reach their cooling shelter this day or the next.

I lean into the desert winds, my hands raised to shade my face, keeping the sand at bay. My feet drag. I can't keep going much longer. Yet I must or I will be buried by the sands, and I'll die in the desert.

I don't want to die.

I gain extra strength and I stagger on, then fall flat on my face. The wind has stopped, but my mind is slow to register this fact and pass the message on to the rest of my body. I raise my head and hope springs anew. There are ruins ahead; they'll shelter me.

I stagger into the shelter of a fallen wall. It is cool in the shade. I rest. Vultures watch me from their high vantage points. I sense their frustration. They won't feed on me this day. And so I close my eyes in peace.

My nose twitches. I smell water. I should not smell water in the desert. My mind must be in another space from that inhabited by my body.

I force my eyes to open again. They are reluctant, in fear the smell of water is false; yet another trick played on me by my tired mind.

I shiver in fear. The castle ruins are no longer around me. They have vanished, and I'm lying in the shade of a large tree on the banks of a small lake. My rags are gone. I'm naked. The grass is green, but the leaves on the tree are red. There is fruit on the tree. One branch dangles near my head. It's a strange fruit, oval and of a purple color like nothing I've ever seen. I reach for one and bite into the firm flesh. It's pleasant to the taste, refreshingly tangy.

I search the sky. The twin suns still chase each other, but the first rapidly approaches the horizon. It's growing late. I must seek shelter.

I stagger to my feet.

I stop. There's a cloud of dust approaching. Is it a storm or some moving convoy? I tense. I don't know the people of this strange world. Are they friendly or will they seek my capture? I don't know. I must flee while I'm still able.

There is a shimmering in the water. A column of spray arises. It swirls faster and faster, the droplets taking the shape of a face. It's the face of a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and gentle blue eyes. She smiles at me with her luscious red lips. I reach out toward her in supplication. Can she help me?

She smiles wistfully and I hear her in my mind. ::Remember the amulet, Jason. Remember the amulet.::

What amulet? Who is Jason?

The dust cloud approaches rapidly. It's a group of horsemen, all clad in black, faceless and menacing. They circle me.

I turn back. The young woman has gone.

A large log has appeared on the shore. Embedded in it is a giant battle-axe, its metal head gleaming in the rays of the sinking suns. I reach for the axe. It won't move.

The horsemen shout in glee.

I hear a horse snort and stamp its feet. I turn to face the horsemen. They've stopped. Their leader rises in his saddle, sharp lance at the ready. Silently he draws back his arm, propelling the lance at my chest. His aim is true. My feet won't respond.

I scream.

Copyright © 2004 by Alan M. Brooker