A Machine Called Earth
Chapter 35- The Keeper

It wasn’t until almost noon before Hector and his companions woke from a restful slumber. Hector, Hope and Jessy were very tired and hadn’t had much sleep in the last couple of days, as their adventure took them along at such great pace, like a fallen leaf blowing along on a wind-filled autumn’s afternoon. In fact, that was what Hector had saw as he woke from his sleep. It was early autumn, and there was a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. He was lying on his back, and as he opened his eyes, in his vision, was the canopy high above. It’s dark, slender branches and the olive leaves of the evergreen trees, swayed gracefully in the wind. Flickering the noon sun which glimmered between the branches and leaves, which was surrounded by the bluest of sky. Being carried along on the wind, were the stray fallen leaves of a new season.

As Hector sat up, he looked around the campsite. Directly in front of him, in the direction his feet were facing, was the campfire. It was but a mound of ashes, which had the slightest stream of smoke still rising, being caught by the southern blowing wind. On his left, about five feet away, was Jane, still sleeping peacefully.

On his right, at about the same distance, was Hope, lying comfortably on her side with an almost smile on her sleeping face, making the slightest of movements, as one does when they are just about to wake up.

Hector’s eyes moved onwards to where Jessy was supposed to be sleeping. Which was on the other side of Hope. Though he was not there. In his spot, was just an opened bedroll. Jessy was gone. Before panic grew within, Hector looked around the campsite, as he may have woken up early, and began playing or finding himself some breakfast. But Jessy was nowhere to be seen.

Hector turned towards Norrth, who was sitting up against a tree, with one knee raised with his elbow resting on it. Norrth’s mask was half on, resting horizontally on his forehead, acting as more of a sun visor. Even though Hector couldn’t see Norrth’s eyes, he could sense that he was not sleeping.

But before Hector could say anything, as he would have shouted in panic, as to the whereabouts of Jessy, waking up Jane and Hope, Norrth whispered. He pointed off into the forest, saying. “He went that way. He is waiting for you.”

Hector stood up, and ran into the trees, in the easterly direction that Norrth had pointed. He ran as swiftly as one can, whilst barefoot. Treading between sharp looking roots and branches, making for the soft, damp soil, almost black in color, still chilled by the night past. “Jessy! Jessy!” Hector shouted in a whisper, as he was still close to the camp. But as he went further, his calls became louder. As did his concern for Jessy’s safety.

He stopped for a moment and looked around. His vision straining as he squinted through the cracks in what was a wall of trees, concealing the whereabouts of young Jessy. For a fraction of a second, Hector caught a glimpse of red.

The color of the tunic that Jessy wore. Hector then dashed in pursuit, weaving between the white pines. Now unconcerned as to where his feet trod. “Jessy! Stop! Where are you going?” Hector shouted in pursuit.

It was as though Jessy had begun playing a game. He would stop and wait until he was in vision, then dash off again out of view. The trees creating an actual wall hiding Jessy from view, once Jessy reached a certain distance from Hector. But each time Hector would lose sight of him, he would stop and wait until his red figure was caught in Hector’s sight again.

As Hector followed, ducking and weaving through the tight-knit clusters of trees, he thought to himself, ‘What is Jessy doing? Doesn’t he remember the dangers that lurk in this land? If I lose him, he will be lost, alone. Why won’t he stop running? This place is dangerous.’ But from the fragments of forest that wasn’t blurred in Hector’s haste, it appeared to be quite the opposite. This was a healthy forest, far from the tainted woods Hector had come across previously. The air within this forest was crisp and fresh. Lush emerald covered boughs, stood tall and proud, far reaching branches hung overhead, all around, was life. Not selfish, violent life, fighting for survival, but content life, gentle life, living together, in harmony, and further in the forest, Hector ventured, it became more-so. Much like the way when he traveled towards River-ton, when he noticed the slow increased density of the plant life, the closer he got. Filling him with unease. Though this was the opposite. The further he went, the more peaceful things became. Though this was just a feeling, there was no way to be sure. But if this was true, if this feeling was correct, where was he heading?

It was far from just a feeling. For the landscape did change. It became lusher, denser. Each tree, each shrub, fern and form of plant-life seemed to be larger, lusher, and greener. It reached the point where Hector no longer felt he was within the same forest, in fact he felt he was no longer within the same world. It was at this point that Hector stopped. His single eye was widened. He was in awe, in amazement.

After Hector stood there for a while, and the throbbing of his heart-beat in his ears had lessened, be heard the sounds from all around him. The transcendent whisper of the wind, as it slowly moved through the trees, and the soft rustling of gentle creatures as they moved about their home. There was also a soft and gentle tune on the wind. Hector then followed the direction of the tune.

As the tune got louder as Hector got closer, Hector was able to distinguish the cause of the sound. It was as though someone was humming. A tune made of such notes and melodies, unheard of in all the world. And although they were in a dense forest, the humming tune sounded as though it was in a great hall, or vast cathedral, echoing almost endlessly. Hector went further.

It was here that Hector found Jessy. He was no longer running, in fact he was sitting, and he was not alone. Jessy was sitting on the knee of a man who was wearing a large hooded robe. This man was facing with his back toward Hector. He was talking to Jessy, though Hector could not hear the words. But Jessy’s eyes were wide and attentive. This man had his hand on Jessy’s shoulder, and was motioning with his other hand, waving it in the air, as though telling a tale or teaching some truth.

It was then, with a spin of his wrist, something unbelievable happened. Hector would not have believed his vision if he hadn't been slowly prepared for what he had witnessed. For as this man flicked his wrist, a flood of life came flying out from his sleeve. A myriad of small birds and butterflies and other flying creatures flowed from him. This man, he was no magician, no wizard. This was no trick or illusion, for what flowed from the sleeve round his arm, he created. This was the Keeper.

Hector slowly walked closer to where Jessy and the Keeper were. They were sitting in a garden flourishing with life, surrounded in green. And bathed in a golden blanket, the sun peering through the canopy, shimmering like that of a king’s treasury.

“Hello Hector.” Came the Keeper’s voice.

“Who are you?” Came Hector’s response, however he knew who he was, but needed to hear it from the Keeper himself.

The Keeper waited for a moment before he spoke. As he did every time he spoke. He said, “You see how the sun is in the sky? For that is where it belongs. But at the right time, it leaves its place, and the moon takes its place. But at the proper time, the moon goes down, and the sun returns to its rightful place in the sky. I am the sun.”

“I don’t understand.” Hector said.

The Keeper made a slight chuckle. “I am who you think I am. But who you think I am, may not be complete.”

Hector took a step forward. “Then who are you?”

“Do not come any closer. For if you see my face, you will surely die.” Came the Keeper’s words, in a decisive voice.

Hector stopped and stayed where he stood, facing the Keeper’s back. He then felt the urge to sit down. As he sat, Hector said, “Then please, tell me everything.”

The Keeper then responded saying, “If I were to tell you everything, then you’d be sitting there until the end of this age. But I will tell you what you need to know, what is sufficient. I shall begin with the most recent of questions that plague your mind. Of that regarding Norrth.”

At this point, Jessy had hopped off the Keeper’s knee, and sat on the grass next to Hector. They both sat, legs crossed, like children at school. Though only one of them was a child. The Keeper began to speak.

“Norrth is as he said he is. A follower of me. One who acts out my will, as I direct. He is not brainwashed, nor is he a slave. His will has simply been aligned with my own. And as you have guessed and seen, I have gifted him certain skills, as well as knowledge of things that will ever be a mystery for the rest of mankind.”

Hector butted in, asking in a rather impatient fashion, “But what about the control room? Who made it? How long were you in it before the five found it? Who was in it before you?”

“Hector. These things will be answered in the proper time. In fact they will be answered by you. Once I have told you what I intend on telling you. One gift in particular that has been given to Norrth, is a long life. He has been acting, doing my will, for many generations, through several eras. And he is as you thought. What the people of Arccon call, ‘The Ancient Archer.’”

“But why command him to kill so many people?”

“Yes he took the lives of many people. But he did so, to teach them. Though they did not listen. They were to realize that they were not alone, that they were not in control, and that war had no place in the natural order.”

There was a small moment of silence, before the Keeper said, “Hector. Close your eyes.” Hector did this, and the Keeper walked to Hector and placed his hand over his eyes. There was a warm sensation much like when Norrth healed Hector’s shoulder.

When the Keeper returned to his seat facing away from Hector again, he said, “Now, remove the eyepatch, and open your eyes.”

Hector did this, and his evil eye that had been cut out by Moab, was healed. Not healed to it’s former state. Yellow and inhuman, but healed to its original state, before his evil eye. ‘So he can reverse the curse.’ Hector thought in his mind.

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