Beneath the Silent City

The phosphorescent mushrooms on the cave walls were glowing green and yellow with occasional blue and red flashes which sparkled when a spore sac would burst. Henley Hornbrook was still very hungry as he eyed the poisonous fungus that formed a psychedelic light show throughout the deep passages he had come to call home.

His fractured leg throbbed painfully, but the makeshift bandage had successfully stopped the bleeding. He was lucky to still be alive, although luck was only part of the story. Henley Hornbrook was an experienced outdoorsman, dressed in what looked like African safari clothing with khaki shorts and a pith helmet, his appearance would have been slightly comical if not for the deep lines in his gaunt face and the blood soaked t-shirt wrapped around his right shin. He had survived this long only because he was so experienced and his training had sustained him through conditions that would have destroyed lesser men. Knowing better than to eat the mushrooms directly, Henley was waiting for another subterranean centipede to come up from the cracks in the cave floor to feed on the eerie fungus. These bright red creatures had been his only source of food for the week and a half he’d been trapped beneath the mountains. It had been two days since his last centipede and the horrifying thought occurred to him that he might already have eaten all of them.

He nervously pulled at his handlebar moustache as he considered his fate. The hope that someone was coming to rescue him was fading rapidly, but he couldn’t think of a way he could make it back to the surface by himself. There was nothing he could make a splint from and he couldn’t possibly crawl up the steep tunnel that led to the surface more than twenty miles above.

He had pleaded for aid from what he had dubbed the Puffies, but they didn’t seem to comprehend that he needed help; like the centipedes, they would only come to feed on the mushrooms. Imbecilic and unfathomably docile, the local people were also universally disfigured by dark blisters that covered their entire bodies. Their yellowish green eyes glowed like the mushrooms they ate and the only sounds they made were soft cooing songs that Henley wasn’t entirely sure signified any sort of language at all.

He looked over his shoulder at the place where he had fallen, twenty-five yards away and wished again that he had taken more care on the slippery rocks. Now it seemed the only hope he had left was that the man he was sent to rescue would find and rescue him. What was his name? Oh yes, Jim McCloud.

Just then, a bit of red caught his eye and quick as a frog’s tongue, he nabbed and ate a long, juicy centipede. At least he’d make it for another day without completely starving to death. He thought of his childhood home in England as he settled in to continue waiting for something to happen.

Chapter Two

“No he isn’t dead!” exclaimed the red-headed girl with more than a touch of impatience. “I don’t know why you’d say something like that about your dad.”

“Because he probably is dead. He really didn’t have much of a chance, don’t you think? How many visions of him have you had?”

“But nothing. It’s been over three weeks since we were in Ra Shingal. If he were alive, he’d have found a way out by now, for sure. There’s nothing to eat down there, so he probably starved to death while wandering around in the dark. I knew that those stupid soldiers would quit searching before they found him.”

“But, you told me he called from Simikot to say that he was ready to go underground.”

The blonde boy stretched back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head.

She hoped that he would have said, “Well, I trust you”. They were, after all, supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Lillian La Pine and Jason McCloud had scarcely been together for a month since their adventure in the secret underground city of Ra Shingal. She was short and thin with intense green eyes and what she thought were more than her fair share of freckles. He was tall and muscular, with longish blonde hair and a smile that could cause an old lady to remember things long forgotten.

He continued unaware of the small hurt she felt, “Why should I trust someone else to find my own father? And why couldn’t my mom have trusted me to do it? That Horny Henbloke had never even been to Nepal, much less Ra Shingal!”

Lillian chuckled, wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “Calm down Jason. No need to shout. And that’s Henley Hornbrook. And also… you’re right, you should have gone. You’re at least as qualified as him.”

She gently whacked him on the head and said, “Well, duh! I am your girlfriend, you know. And, besides, I was there too. If you might remember.”

“I remember being scared to death. But, it was really exciting too and I’d love a chance to go back.”

“You would?” he asked with hope in his eyes. “You’d want to help me look for my dad?”

“I just can’t figure you out. I think you secretly believe that he is alive and you just won’t admit it. C’mon Jason, be honest with me, with yourself. Look in your heart and tell me what you really feel.”

He looked at the floor then at the door, then right at her. “Uh, I think he’s still alive.”

She got up, answered the door and in walked the most beautiful girl imaginable. Five-foot eight with nearly black hair that was straight and shiny, Eleanor Cameron had sea-blue eyes that sparkled, a small slightly upturned nose that had a few pale freckles, a complexion that needed no makeup and a way of walking that made her look much older than her fourteen years.

“Ellie, I’d like you to meet Jason McCloud. Jason, this is Eleanor Cameron.”

They shook hands and the girl said, “Pleased to meet you, Jason. Lillian told me you were good looking, but she didn’t say you were gorgeous.”

Jason only managed to croak, “Uh, thanks. I mean pleased to meet… um.. meet you, too.” He shook her hand vigorously, wiped his sweaty palm on his faded jeans and then brushed the hair out of his face.

Lillian said, “Ellie, Jason and I were just talking about going back to Ra Shingal.”

Jason groaned, “There’s nothing romantic about it. It was a horrible place.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. But, I’d still like to go. I’ve always been fascinated by strange, remote places and weird customs. Lillian, where did you say it was again?”

“Oh my God! Nepal? My dad is there right now collecting art for our new winter home in Hawaii.”

“Seeing as how you don’t even have a license, I can understand why,” grunted Lillian. “And if you ask me, anyone who lives in a forty room mansion in Carmel is not just ‘well off’.”

Ellie corrected her, “Actually, it’s only thirty-four rooms and that’s if you count the servants quarters. But, what I was trying to say is since my dad is already there, I can go and visit him, and take you guys along, too.”

“That’s great Ellie, but how are we going to pay for it? My dad still doesn’t have a job, my mom doesn’t make that much and Jason’s mom hasn’t found anything either.”

Jason whistled and shook his hand as if he’d just touched something hot. Then he said, “Yeah, I’d say that was rich.” He turned to the other girl and asked, “Ellie are you kidding?”

“No, I’m not kidding. And quit calling me rich, Lily. It’s embarrassing.”

No one said anything for a moment, so Ellie headed for the kitchen. “You got anything to eat around here? I’m starving.”

“I don’t want to get fat,” she chided. “But, OK. That sounds good enough.”

They all went into the kitchen and soon were sitting around the breakfast table enjoying a hot pepperoni pie. It was somewhat uncomfortable for Lillian since Ellie wouldn’t take her eyes off her boyfriend and Jason kept sneaking glances at Ellie’s womanly curves.

It was Ellie who broke the silence. “So, Lillian. What’s it like to get to live with your boyfriend? I bet you get to do it anytime you want to.”

Jason sniggered and Lillian glared at him, causing a quick stop to his laughter, but he couldn’t hide the redness that came to his face.

“For your information, Jason and his mom live downstairs because they ran out of money and were evicted from their house in San Diego. My parents invited them here to Pacific Grove and besides, the food stamps they get really helps out, since we don’t have a lot of money either!”

Ellie coolly replied, “Well, I certainly wouldn’t waste the chance if I were in your shoes.” She sat back in her chair and slowly crossed her legs as Lillian bit into her pizza like a lioness tearing into fresh meat.

Jason, sensing an impending argument, changed the subject. “Hey, why don’t we figure out how we’re going to get back to Ra Shingal…. before you two kill each other.”

After some more discussion, it was decided that their parents would probably allow them to fly unescorted by an adult, since they were meeting up with Ellie’s father in Nepal. Lillian knew that this was going to be tough to get past her folks, but she also felt uncomfortable about asking Ellie to finance the trip for her dad, who was sure to want to go along, too, but certainly couldn’t afford the trip. Since Lillian was really excited about the prospect of going out on her own for the first time in her life, she felt strangely glad that her family was having money problems.

After Ellie had gone home and Jason had gone downstairs to bed, she laid awake in her bed for a long time thinking about Ra Shingal, picturing the twisted minarets and narrow streets that were dimly lit by strange luminescent globes which seemed to grow like trees at random throughout the underground city. But, her thoughts soon turned to the disgraced ruler of Ra Shingal. The man the inhabitants called Father Chimjoan. The man she had beaten in a desperate battle that had nearly claimed her life. Was it possible that he had survived?

Lillian shivered in her covers at the thought of his cruelty and unbridled ambition. For the first time since she had returned home, she considered the possibility that if she had survived, so might he have. And, to her surprise, she started thinking of excuses that might allow her to stay at home. She imagined herself telling Jason that school had to come first, that she was feeling a little ill, that she wasn’t really needed since he had Ellie…

That last excuse caused her to bolt upright. She hit her hands on the bed and nearly screamed out loud. There was no way she was going to let Jason and Ellie go off on some adventure alone together! Her worries of Father Chimjoan vanished as she recalled how Jason couldn’t take his eyes off her shapely friend. Whatever possibility that she had of sleep was shattered as visions of them kissing and hugging and loving and laughing tortured her heart like she had never known before in her fourteen and a half years.

Chapter Three

In all of the years Lillian had known Ellie, she’d only met her father twice. Eliot Cameron was a very busy man. Movie producer, art collector and racehorse breeder, he had precious little time to be a father too. Ellie didn’t seem to mind, at least she never complained about the lack of a strong male figure in her life.

So, when Lillian saw him at the airport in Delhi, she didn’t recognize him. But, she should have. Standing out from the crowd, he was tall, with black hair and white sideburns and his face left no doubt as to who his daughter was. He had the same classical features that Ellie was graced with, not a detectable flaw anywhere. The smell of his cologne mixed oddly with the odors of the airport, spicy lime and popcorn. He was dressed in a black pin-striped suit with blue tie and perfect shoes, so shiny that Lillian could have hung them on her bathroom wall in place of the mirror.

The tall man stepped over to Jason and shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” He turned to his daughter and asked, “Is this young man your new boyfriend?”

Before she could reply, Lillian stamped her foot and interjected, “No, he’s mine.”

“Well, OK. That’s fine with me, no need to get in a tiff. Yes, now I remember you. Hello Lillian, nice to see you again. El, dear, I have some bad news. I’m afraid I can’t go with you into the mountains. I have to cut my vacation short on account of a new film they’ve asked me to produce. We have a meeting in Sydney tomorrow, and my plane leaves in about an hour. Now, I know I promised, but sometimes things come up. You know this.

Listen, I’ve chartered a small plane to take you and your friends to Simikot. Just call this number…” He handed her a piece of paper and then a rather large billfold. “And here’s five thousand dollars in travelers checks and another thousand in cash. That should be enough, won’t it?”

Ellie took the money and put it into her purse. She kissed her dad again and said, “Thanks, Daddy. I understand. Sometimes things come up. And I think this will be enough. Besides, I still have some cash and my Visa card, too. We’ll be fine.”

“That’s my girl.” He patted her on the head. “My God, have you grown taller?”

“Well, never mind. You kids have fun while you do whatever it is you are going to do.”

Jason spoke up, “We’re going to look for my dad. I haven’t seen him in over seven years.”

“Hey, that’s great. I hope he appreciates your devotion.” He paused for a moment then put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and asked, “You’ll look after my little girl, won’t you?”

Lillian nearly bent over and stuck her finger in her mouth in disgust, but thought better of it. Instead, remembering how she’d saved Jason’s life on the cliff during their last trip in the mountains, she said, “Hey! What about me?”

Misunderstanding her intent, Eliot replied, “I’m sorry, Lillian. Jason, please look after her, too.”

The movie mogul then straightened his tie, smoothed his hair back and said, “I guess it’s time for me to say goodbye. I have to go through security now. Mustn’t be late, you know.”

He gave his daughter a final hug, shook hands with Jason, picked up his briefcase and walked briskly toward the gate. After he had disappeared from their view, the trio looked at each other, then broke into an impromptu dance.

Ellie then opened her purse and pulled out the billfold her father had just given her. “Let’s go shopping!”

Later that evening, they were settling into their hotel. Tired from the extensive foray into the malls and stores of Delhi, they had gotten a fleet of bellhops to bring up their newly purchased possessions. Ellie had concentrated on clothing and had actually purchased many items that would be of no earthly use on their trip.

“That’s OK. I’ll just send them back home. I really couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy those wonderful dresses and shoes.” She opened up one of the parcels, pulled out a long silken gown and held it up to her body, admiring it in the full length mirror. “Isn’t it just absolutely gorgeous?”

“Yeah, it’s great,” said Jason with a touch of impatience. “I can’t believe you forgot about buying a pack and mountain climbing boots. It’s a good thing I’m looking out for you or you’d never make it up there.”

Lillian, on the other hand, had required little from the stores since she had brought her equipment from the last adventure. She felt like she needed some time alone, so she excused herself and went to her room to read the book her mother had given her upon her return from Ra Shingal.

Using Vision

If you are reading this book, it is assumed that you have already read “How to See” and have mastered its secrets. By now you should be able to go into the ‘vision trance’ at will, and be able to direct your psychic powers at the object you have selected.

Lillian shut the book and set it on the end table with a great sigh. She hadn’t told anyone that she hadn’t had even the slightest vision since her psychic attack on Father Chimjoan. It was a secret that she dared not share, since Jason depended on her special ability in order to find his father.

It worried her deeply, and she feared that she had lost her powers forever. She suspected that Jason would break up with her if he found out that she no longer had something unique and powerful to offer. She’d just be an ordinary girl, who wasn’t particularly pretty. God, what would she give to be as beautiful and rich as Ellie? The saying: you can’t get there from here rang true in this case. She knew she’d never be like her friend.

Screwing up her determination, she removed a picture of Jason’s dad and her mother from her suitcase and tried to prepare herself to see. She sat upright on her bed, breathed deeply and cleared her mind. The photograph was old and faded. It was taken when they were in high school and in love. Their smiles looked so genuine, it warmed her heart to see such happiness. She wondered why they ever broke up.

But, she needed a vision. If not to help her locate the missing man, just to reassure her that she still could see. But, no matter how she tried, no matter if she studied the photo carefully or if she blurred her vision or crossed her eyes. Nothing worked, she found herself alone in her room at the verge of tears, and still she couldn’t coax a vision.

“Damn!” she swore out loud, throwing the picture to the floor. But she picked it up and put it carefully in its place in her suitcase before collapsing onto the bed in frustration.

Lillian, Jason and Ellie stood in the abattoir, their flashlights scanning the walls and floors of the room where two of them had come so close to death just months ago. Although there were no bodies left, the smell of death still lingered and the beams of light often found deep red stains which none had taken the time to remove.

The trip that took them there from Delhi had gone flawlessly. The guides Jason had hired turned out to be professional and courteous, a testament to the virtues of having enough money to secure competent help.

The front entrance below the high windows had been sealed shut. They had to climb the ridge and drop into the chimney that led to the tunnel. The booby-traps had all been disabled, so the walk down through the tunnel had been thankfully uneventful. At the end of the tunnel, they had found Ra Shingal deserted; everyone had gone back to their previous lives after their discredited religious leader had fled. The underground city was left in the dark, and was completely devoid of any sound but their footsteps and guarded breathing. Occasional bits of clothing and other personal items could be found scattered here and there, but they felt foreign and somehow evil. All in all, it was unsettling to Jason and Lillian and downright scary to Ellie.

Jason sensed this and tried to comfort the shaky beauty. Lillian watched in dismay as her boyfriend hugged her best friend and stroked her hair as he whispered things she couldn’t hear. She couldn’t decide who she wanted to throw her flashlight at, but somehow managed to avoid losing control. They were here on a mission, and she tried not to forget this.

Lillian’s mother had mentioned tunnels that led beneath the city, but try as they might, none could be found amid the ghostly buildings and black streets. After only a few hours of searching, the eeriness of the place had reduced them to nervous wrecks. They decided to go back to the surface and camp for the night.

As they climbed the tunnel that led to the snowy mountain ridge, Jason broke the silence that somehow had enshrouded the small company, “Lillian, I don’t get it. I thought you’d be able to see where those tunnels were. Instead, we just seemed to be walking around like stupid idiots in hopes of accidentally discovering them. What gives?”

The suggestion that Lillian might have lost her powers was all that was needed to ignite the red-head’s short fuse. “Damn it Jason, you can’t expect me to just have a vision whenever you need it! I did pretty damn well before and I think you should give me some credit! I’m not a slave who you can order around! And another thing, I don’t like being called a stupid idiot!”

Instead of apologizing, Jason turned up the volume. “I didn’t call you a stupid idiot! I just asked what was wrong and you had to get all mad at me! It’s just like you to lose your temper when I’m trying to fix things. You’ve been acting real weird lately and I don’t know what’s gotten into you. Sometimes I wish that you’d either tell me, or just go away!”

Enough was enough, she let out a scream that sounded like a train wreck and ran back down the tunnel at top speed. Crying all the way, she didn’t even look where she was going until she tripped and fell face first onto the stone floor. Her flashlight flew from her hand and skidded into something extinguishing its light. With tears still streaming down her face, she felt the warm slimy liquid that could only be blood. She put her fingers to her mouth and found one of her front teeth hanging by a thread, but the pain of that wound didn’t reach her yet. She yanked it free and threw it angrily into the darkness as her sobs continued unabated.

She heard Jason and Ellie calling her name from above, but she didn’t answer. Fine! Let Jason have her, I don’t care. He’ll never find his dad without me and I hope he doesn’t! Crawling in misery on her hands and knees, she started to grope in the darkness feeling for the flashlight. She needed to be able to see!

The little pebbles she encountered were sharp and seemed to take delight in hurting her. As each moment passed, she felt more alone and desperate. From somewhere behind her, she heard Ellie’s voice, “Lillian. This isn’t funny! Why are you hiding from us? Come on! Turn your flashlight back on and come back.”

But she still didn’t respond. Then she heard Jason’s voice, and to her surprise, it was growing fainter! Was she even in the same tunnel? As she heard his voice disappear into the void, she jumped up and shouted, “I’m here! Come back!” Without a clue as to which direction she should go, she bolted in terror and slammed right into the solid rock wall of the tunnel. Staggering back, she raised her hand to her forehead and felt a deep cut as she lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Chapter ?

Lillian felt that something was wrong but she couldn’t figure out what it was. She saw a lump of thick clothing on the ground next to where she was lying and she wondered where she’d seen it before. She reached over to feel it and was startled when it moved at her touch. A withered green head emerged from the pile and opened its eyes.

Master Ghilli!

“Hello Lillian,” he said not sounding surprised to see her at all.

“Ghilli!” she almost screamed his name. “How… what… I mean I thought you were dead!”

“I am dead,” he said matter-of-factly.

He stood up and Lillian could see that his mortal wounds were gone.

“You’re dead?” She knew, of course, that he had died in her arms in the cell where she’d mounted her attack on Father Chimjoan months before. But, here he stood, looking more alive than she’d ever seen him look.

He didn’t answer her rhetorical question but gave her a puzzle instead, “Where does the magic go when it goes to work?”

Lillian had no idea what he was talking about. “What magic?” she asked.

But the strange man said nothing. He turned his head away and began to walk up the tunnel. She tried to stand up and run after him, but she couldn’t rise. It felt like powerful hands were holding her down.

“Don’t leave me here!” she cried. “I’m hurt and… and…”

She found herself alone once again as the green-skinned man faded into the darkness. But just as his form vanished, a light appeared and she heard another voice.

“Lillian!”

It was Jason.

She sat upright and opened her eyes to see two beams of light bouncing and crossing and she realized that Jason and Ellie were running toward her. In an instant they were at her side, grasping her arms to help her up.

Ellie said, “Lillian, don’t ever do that again! You almost scared us to death. We had no idea what happened to you.”

Jason shown his light into her face and gasped, “Oh my god! What happened to your face? There’s blood all over the place!”

“I tripped… I… I lost a tooth.”

She opened her mouth and Jason shined his light and chuckled when he saw the gap. “Hey Ellie May, why don’t you and Jethro come on down to the cement pond.”

“It’s not funny, you idiot! It hurts.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was just trying to make you feel better. I know it must hurt pretty bad.”

“How would you know? Did you ever have a tooth bashed out?”

Ellie spoke up, “Hey give the guy a break. He’s doing the best he can.”

“Yeah, I noticed how he was doing the best he could to impress you!” snipped Lillian as she crossed her arms and made a sour face.

No one said anything more for a minute. It was obvious what was going on, now. Finally, Jason said, “I really didn’t think you were the jealous type, Lillian.”

“Well now you know,” she replied still looking hurt.

Ellie said, “There’s absolutely nothing going on between Jason and me. He was just trying to make me feel better. Lillian, we’ve got to stick together on this or else we could get into real trouble. I mean, look what almost happened. We thought we lost you!”

Jason then said, “Let’s just try to forget about it OK? Lily, where’s your flashlight?”

“I dunno. I guess I dropped it. It must be around here somewhere.”

Jason began to sweep the area with his flashlight and soon found hers. Luckily it had merely shut itself off on impact and was still working. Soon they had bandaged Lillian’s cut face and set to exploring the side tunnel she had stumbled into.

The tunnel was more of a cubby-hole than a tunnel. It was only about twenty-five feet long. Lillian had run headlong into the terminus of the tunnel after losing her flashlight.

It wasn’t long before Jason called to the girls, “Hey you guys, look at this!”

Lillian and Ellie walked over to where Jason was shining his flashlight on the floor. The circle of light clearly revealed an iron ring set into a large stud that pierced the ground.

Lillian asked Jason, “Is it a trap door?”

“Either that or it’s just a tie-down. Let’s pull and see what happens.”

While Ellie held the flashlight beams on them, Jason and Lillian faced each other, grasped the ring and gave it a mighty heave. But nothing happened.

Lillian said, “Let’s try again. But this time, let’s twist slightly to the left.”

But Ellie stopped them, “Wait a minute. I think you’re standing on the door. I can see a seam running behind your feet. Here hold these and step back.”

She handed the flashlights to Jason and Lillian who both stepped away from the ring. Sure enough, there was a square seam in the floor. Ellie was easily able to open the door once she knew where to stand.

“Wow!” said Jason. “That’s so cool. Ellie saw the door outline, and I saw the ring. Lily, I think your talent is rubbing off on us.”

Not only did Lillian feel stupid for yanking uselessly on the ring, she also became painfully aware that Jason and Ellie were seeing the important clues while she had discovered the tunnel merely by accident. She didn’t have a response to Jason’s comment, so she just stared into the blackness of the trap door.

Ellie said however, “I doubt I have her vision thing... Look, there’s a ladder. Shall we go down?”

“I don’t know,” said Lillian. Then she turned to Jason, “How do we know that this is where your father went? Do you think he would have even found this small tunnel?”

Jason answered, “If you could find it in complete darkness, so could he. Besides, didn’t your mom say there was a maze of tunnels beneath the city? This is probably a good an entrance as any. I say we go down.”

Something about the trap door bothered Lillian. While Ellie seemed to have gained confidence, she felt more and more tentative. Fear was waiting for her at the bottom of that ladder. But after Ellie agreed to go, she reluctantly consented also.

But she went down last. Nevertheless as she descended the ladder, all the while imagining the mushroom people her mother had talked about.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Using Vision