Hillary of Nibiru by Brad Danbrook - HTML preview

Chapter 17

Gabriel practically galloped downstairs towards the dining room. He was followed closely by his son and the rest of the group. They all sat down down to the post-Holiday feast. The matriarch of the family spoke first. “You all are just lucky that we didn't eat everything at Christmas dinner. Now Wallace, you worried your mother and me half to death. Are you going to tell us what happened...and I want the truth now, God is listening you know...” The boy gazed at his grandmother after she had posed the question. The confused boy then looked sheepishly at his father.

It was he that fielded the question. “Well, you know the important thing is that we all made it back safe and we're all here for this lovely dinner. Mom, why don't you say grace?” It was now his wife's turn to take up the interrogation. “Yes, it is wonderful to have you all back, and in one piece, but that doesn't answer the question. And what about Hillary? Mr. Penrose, has your daughter returned yet?” Charles was not sure how to respond. “Call me Charles...Hillary is actually visiting....yes, that's it...she was visiting friends all this time, and she had just neglected to tell us.” Gabriel nodded in agreement, as did Mr. Boggs. Eventually the inquisitive mother ceased her line of questioning. “Well there's no point in all 321

this food getting cold...yet again...we'll continue this later. They all began to consume the delicious food with great relish, no one more so than Mr. Penrose.

After stuffing his face for several minutes he noticed the absence of Annie from the table. “If you'll excuse me, I'm just going to check on Annie, I'll be right back.” He quickly ran upstairs to the master bedroom. He found a stone-still Annie lying uncomfortably on the floor.

Hillary exclaimed loudly as she watched the huge blue ball hurling towards them. “Rupert, watch out! It's going to hit us. The blue jaw-breaker was the size of a large cannonball, and seemed to be increasing in size as it approached. The dependable camel lacked the agility to avoid the gigantic blue sphere. The desert beast instinctively lurched to the right to avoid a head-on collision. All those aboard the creature's back were sent flying into the bright interior of the strange white obelisk. Samantha’s view of the approaching airborne threat had been obscured by those ahead of her. Too late, she watched as the camel in front lurched away to reveal a now massive blue cannonball headed directly for her. The dragon had no time to avoid the collision. The blue sphere hit the fiery beast square upon the forehead and crushed the reptilian head. Samantha was sent drifting off into the whiteness of the imposing obelisk. Hillary has lost contact with her fellow travellers. She called out the names of her mother and her friend. There was no 322

response. She had the distinct sensation, not of falling but of being drawn forward at ever quickening speed. She stared ahead and noticed a small black pyramid which seemed to hang in the air. She noticed a figure moving ahead of her. At first she thought it was Rupert. The shadowy figure grew closer still. Hillary could at last make out the shape of the person now flying only inches from her face. “Peter Pan! I knew you were real! Are Wendy and Micheal and John here also?” The green clad forever young boy merely nodded and flew away. Hilary called out desperately to the boy. “Come back...I really need your help...Wendy? Where are you? Rupert? Mama?”

The child was sent flying into the page of the book by the forcefulness of the mighty throw. Chauncey, Digby and Lilith could only look on in desperation.

“Chauncey, what do we do now?” The sound of a deafening pounding on the door was heard by all. A loud voice yelled out demandingly. “What is going on in there?

You open this door right now!” Digby ignored the ominous warning from the hallway. “I need to find out if Hillary is safe. I can only tell by jumping into the book myself.” Chauncey and Lilith both agreed with the assessment. “You go then...Lilith and I can't do any more here. We'll go back and check on Annie, we need to get out of here anyway before that angry mother breaks into the room. The tiny raven-haired blue fairy agreed and lead the way back through the liquid mirror.

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Digby ran back to the edge of the room and ran full speed into the blinding white light of the room-sized book. Meanwhile, the amazed child continued to fly forward within the bright light of the book. He noticed a black spot ahead which seemed to be growing larger. He also saw what appeared to be another person flying forward.

Rupert had grown accustomed to falling aimlessly through the air. It hardly bothered him anymore. He called out the names of his friends and received no response. He noticed a large figure approaching him quickly. Soon he was able to discern the figure of his rotund father the king. The regal character greeted his son. “Rupert my son, you have done well. I have misjudged you. You will someday make a worthy ruler of our land.” The beaming proud face of the son accepted the rapturous praise. “Thank you father, I wanted to make you proud. I wanted to show you that I could be a real...and survive in the real world.”

“You have done more than that. You have proven to yourself that you are worthy. There is no greater accomplishment. You do what you feel is necessary.

Just know that your mother and father love you and support your decision.

Remember, we will always be here for you, if you should choose to return to us.” With that, the stocky red-haired king glided away, leaving his son feeling much better about his circumstances.

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Carolyn also was being pulled forward quickly towards the odd, incongruous black pyramid that appeared ahead of her. She watched as a figure came gently flying in her direction. At once she was able to make out the figure of her half-self.

It was her negative self that had been cleaved from her being earlier. She could not speak to the lifeless looking body. She grabbed hold of the cold hand of the limp body and watched the single black pyramid grow ever larger. Hillary noticed several drifting forms around her. She made out the faces of both Rupert and her mother. They grew ever closer as the single black Egyptian object came closer.

Soon all had gathered to within a few feet of the pulsing black pyramid. They were no longer hurtling forward, but were now simply standing in the air. Another figure approached them and came to a halt on the other side of the black singularity.

Hillary walked over to the person. The child who had been reading the book recognized the figure of Hillary approaching them. At once they were standing across from each other within arms length. “You're the character of Hillary from the storybook, right?” Hillary was slightly indignant with the description. “No, I'm real...we're all real people here.” As she finished speaking she pointed to the empty white air above them. She watched as several figures held hands as they flew effortlessly through the air. “Look! Its Wendy, Micheal and John from Peter Pan.

Do you see them Mama?” Carolyn watched as the figures drifted above them and 325

away. “Yes...I do see them Hillary.” The confused child simply stood in awe. “I don't understand what happened. I was reading the this storybook, then somehow it started to become real. Everything that was happening to me started to happen in the book. Then there were some visitors. They were from the book also. Digby was there and a leprechaun and a fairy. So do you mean that all this is real, and this is not just a dream?” Hillary began to explain when another figure approached with great speed. It was a breathless and frantic Digby. “You're all here...good. There's no time to waste. Samantha will be here any minute now.” Hillary was happy to see her treasured companion. “Digby, you said that we needed to find the centre-point, the singularity of the maze, and contact the Thinker. Well this must be the centre, where is the Thinker?” Digby pointed to the reader of the storybook. “This child is the Thinker...you've managed to make contact...but we're not done yet. We must enter the singularity before Samantha. Quick...everybody join hands together around the black pyramid!” The child was dizzy with the overwhelming deluge of strange events. “No...this is not real! This is all some crazy dream...you're all just characters in a book...I'm just going to close my eyes and hope I wake up!” Another shadowy figure began to approach. Rupert pointed to the rapidly gaining blond girl. The disfigured face of Samantha could be seen by all. The brave young prince urged the child onward. “If you do not do as Digby says, I will disappear forever.

Don't you see? I want to be real like you!” The incredulous storybook reader was 326

moved by the imprecations of the persuasive royal son. Hillary offered one more suggestion. “Don't you want to be the hero of the story? You can be, you know, just do what Digby says!” Samantha was now within hearing range. She shouted out loudly. “Don't do what they say! They are lying! You will be trapped in the book forever!”

Charles immediately felt for a pulse upon the neck of the prostrate woman.

Annie's body was still and cold. The distressed father gently called out the elderly woman's name. “Annie...wake up! Don't you give up...” He was about to reach for the phone and call for an ambulance. He heard a splash in the room. He turned to watch a small leprechaun and a tiny dark-haired fairy wearing a blue dress enter the bedroom through the mirror. The liquid glass surface rippled and was again still.

Chauncey quickly ran over to the cold body. Lilith also came flitting up to the face of the old woman. The green jacketed creature was morose. “There may be nothing we can do...unless...there is the legend...” The tiny fairy nodded her tiny head imperceptibly and waved her wand. Chauncey reached into his fine waistcoat and pulled out a black stoppered bottle. He thrust it toward the man. “This is a very special potion. I have only one of them. It was exceedingly difficult to obtain, you see. It is said in Nibiru that a real man can bring any creature back to life with this life potion. You must believe in the magic though, otherwise it will not work. Do 327

you understand?” Charles nodded without really comprehending the implications of the explanation. “I do want Annie to live..I will do whatever it takes. Give me the potion.” The leprechaun again admonished the weary father. “Do you believe in magic? Do you believe that we are real? Do you believe that this will work?” After several moments of consideration, he responded in the affirmative. “I believe in magic, and I believe in the reality of Nibiru and all its creatures.” He reiterated his statement as he poured the bubbling, steaming liquid into the awaiting mouth of the elderly woman. He added his own silent prayers for Annie's recovery.

Samantha's cold voice and dire warning echoed in the child reader's head.

There was some hesitation. Digby shrieked in a desperate plea. “Do it now! You must believe! We are all real...this is all really happening. You must act. Reach for the black pyramid- the singularity must be broached. The child was light-headed.

The voices circling grew distant and faint. The shapes and colours of the surroundings became blurred. The single pyramid in the centre of the empty white expanse grew closer and closer. A tentative hand reached forward to touch it. The single pyramid grew smaller and smaller until it was only the size of a period at the end of a sentence. It looked just like the period at the end of this sentence. The end of a single finger grew closer to the singularity. It was now mere millimeters from the black dot. Time slowed down the closer the child's finger came to the dot. An 328

infinite amount of time transpired. The child entered the singularity point by no longer reaching for it. The child became the singularity as all artificial boundaries of time and space disappeared. Nothing became everything and everything became nothing. Reality became fantasy and fantasy became reality.

Annie gasped as a powerful surge of life entered her lungs. Her kind wise eyes gazed up at her saviour. “Charles...you saved me...I knew you could do it...you do love me after all.” Charles hugged the still cold body to his chest. “Of course I love you...I know we've had out differences, but you have to know that I will always take care of you.” Annie smiled and gently caressed the face of the father.

He was still not at complete ease. “What about Hillary? We need to find out if she's okay.” Annie offered comfort to the worried father. She looked around the room to see that the visitors from the supra-real world of Nibiru had vanished. “I think everything is okay now...everything is back to normal. Hillary and Digby must have successfully contacted the Thinker at the maze centre-point. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already at home.”

Digby emerged form the kitchen cabinet door beneath the kitchen. He was followed by Hillary and Carolyn. The red-haired sprite looked up at the frazzled looking mother. “You seem to be back in one piece...back to your old self.” Hillary 329

was pleased to be back in her own house. Everything seemed to be back to normal.

“Mama, was it all a dream...did all of that really happen?” Carolyn looked down at her daughter. “I don't really know dear...its all still a little fuzzy. Its as if the harder I try to remember what happened...the faster my memory fades. It all seemed so real though.” Digby grabbed the hand of her young companion. “She doesn't even see me anymore...or hear me...but at least she may be able to understand our world...our unique reality.” He lead Hillary upstairs to her bedroom. Carolyn watched as her daughter walked up the stairs. She thought for a moment that she saw another figure accompanying her, but the image faded.

The child was back in their own bed. The room was silent and dark. An extremely perturbed woman burst into the room as the door flung open forcefully.

“Good Lord! What was that racket? It sounded like a hurricane in here? Did I not tell you to go to bed? Now where is that new storybook? Give it here...you're done reading for the night. Its going back on the refrigerator until the morning.” The child was still bleary eyed from the night's bizarre events. “I don't know where it went...honestly...look for yourself.” The stern woman began to scan the room for the strange book. She pulled up the covers of the sheets and even looked under the child's bed. The mysterious tome was nowhere to be found. “If you are hiding that book from me..I will take it away for good.” She stood with her string arms folded