And so they waited.
After reading Ben's Life Book for some time Jodie felt as though she was intruding. Golf treated it as a cross between reality TV and a soap opera. He was heavily engrossed, reading over Jodie's shoulders. Jodie had insisted they return the book however and Valentina had soon appeared to collect it.
Shortly afterwards Mountain-Spirit gathered them back together. Ben had wandered off some distance. He was immersed in a novel about a young girl who was born in a shanty-town in southern India.
And they waited. Ben, Jodie, Golf and Orb. Mountain-Spirit had told them to keep guard around the pool.
‘I hope he doesn’t throw me in next,’ Ben thought testily. Mountain-Spirit gave him a sharp look.
Golf had long since fallen asleep. Orb fluttered up and down, feeling a little anxious. Jodie was dreaming. Only Ben quietly sat there, alert and waiting.
A long gurgling rumbling sound, like an approaching underground train, broke the silence. Bubbles were breaking the water's surface. The rumbling grew louder.
Danny shot out the surface of the water at such a speed that he travelled 12-foot into the air. At the apex of his travels Danny seemed to stop in mid-flight. He looked like a cartoon character about to fall into a great roadrunner canyon. He gulped a lung full of air in a single gasp before plummeting to the ground. A moment later Danny was nestled in Mountain-Spirits arms like an oversized baby.
‘Catch!’ exclaimed Mountain-Spirit cried happily.
The tension broke. Ben laughed. Everyone relaxed. They were glad to see that Danny had returned safely.
Mountain-Spirit escorted them on the long walk back to the central elevator. Albert the sentient elevator wouldn't talk to Mountain-Spirit when they returned. He did seem glad to see all of them though, especially Jodie. As she walked in the art-Deco light came on illuminating the pull down lift-attendant’s chair. It gave a warm, subdued arc of yellow light.
‘You have a nice seat,’ said Albert in his low, gravel voice. Jodie wasn't sure if Albert was offering her the only seat in the lift or commenting on the attractiveness of her behind. She had never had a sentient machine take a fancy to her before.
The small control orb descended. Jodie entered her left hand into its coolness. She felt like she had just put her whole hand into a large pot of jelly straight from the fridge. Then the swirling started – first within the hand and then it spread to the rest of her body and lastly to the room around her. Her body felt like it was plastered against a spinning 'Wall of Death' like one might find in a fairground. The sensation was giddy but not unpleasant.
The orb felt strangely fearless. Fantastic pulsing colours spun in her mind's eye, mainly purple. The strange sensations of super-physical travel then overtook her completely – everything, all awareness briefly disappeared except for a certain sense of self. Then, no sooner had it got into full flow than it was all over.
Albert seemed sad to see them go. The swirling Vortex was waiting, like a tame hurricane, in the lobby. Soon they had returned to the feline realm.
‘So nice of you to drop back,’ said Ariel after the flying lion creatures had scooped them up from the sky once more. ‘Goodbye Vortex,’ added Ariel quietly as the swirling hurricane disappeared over the horizon. ‘Welcome back to my feline library. I trust you enjoyed the pool,’ he said to Danny winking.
They spent hours being entertained by the great smiling cat – laughing at the impossible tales that the statuesque orange moggy loved to tell. Inbetween tales they would play tag in the fields – the sheer energy of their cat-bodies made them feel like children again. They flexed their newly regained feline bodies. Back in this realm they had reacquired the feline forms they had before.
Eventually the time came to take their leave. Only the strange half-cat, half-frog form of Golf was glad to be going, the rest of the group felt quite sad, not knowing when they would ever see this special place again. Ariel led them back across the great plain which spread its wings out below the sun-tube sky. It was a whole environment contained within a single branch of the Arkstone. They watched a passing pride of lions, saunter lazily in the shade of a tall tree. They felt safe in the knowledge that Ariel was by their side, protecting them. The lion creatures flew overhead in a V formation cutting up the bright blue 'sky'.
Passing through a stone, ivy-trellised gateway, they found themselves transported back to the plastic beach. They were now wearing their usual bodies. Zafearon and Marla were waiting patiently. Both dogs seemed to be smiling and excited to see them. Great pants of steam were leaving their huge nostrils. Climbing onto the animal's backs they were soon at the wooden mouth to the great tree itself. It was here that they had first entered the Arkstone.
The huge golden bird, Garuda, was sat there, contemplating. It said not a word but it was not unfriendly. Garuda indicated Jodie's hand. The key grew out from her palm. It continued growing until it was its original size, a foot or so across. The key was gold and had five large teeth and ended with a globe inscribed with a simple curving line. The five friends held onto the key. Garuda took off first and then the key followed. They flew back out through the gentle blue space of the Akashi realm. Silently they followed behind the elegant wing-beats of the owl.
Garuda hovered in space. It was time to go. They said their final farewells to the Akashi realm and the great bird, the guardian of the Arkstone. Then, reluctantly, they descended through the blue stream that held them. The five emerged back into the dark wooden tunnels that had first brought them to the Akashi realm. These were the tunnels that led back to their own time and space. This time however the tunnels felt eerie, more sinister than they had on their way here. Something was wrong.
They walked along the ancient wood-stone flooring until they felt tired out, eventually heading back out the ‘Returns’ tunnel entrance. Now they entered the last length of tunnel before the Akashi gate. They plodded along the brown, damp flooring, occasionally letting their eyes wander to the slightly glowing greenish walls. Soon they would approach the diamond portal that would lead back to the Earthly plane.
A cold feeling of dread overtook Danny, surging up into his stomach from nowhere. He noticed that their energy bodies were fading fast. The others seemed to be half-asleep. Seeing the diamond light at the end of the tunnel Danny yelled for them all to run. His voice called them sharply back to reality. The five, now ghostly apparitions flung themselves forward and into the light of the gateway.
Just before Danny entered the diamond portal the ruro globe that had nestled in his chest boiled down deeper into his flesh. He could still see it shining underneath his skin. Danny had no time for pain or fear. He plunged headlong into the watery diamond. He was the last to enter. As soon as Danny's right foot had been enclosed the diamond spun and disappeared. They left behind just more stone-like wood tunnelling, stretching on for miles.