Lauren--Part Forty-One

Splog # 143

Forty-One

   Lauren was about to bend over to get a closer look at the "keyhole" when a bell sounded from somewhere above her. This bell had a high tone, unlike the others she'd heard on the lower level, and this one pealed more than just once. She didn't begin to count until the second time the bell rang, but from that point on she kept a careful ear to the peals. The bell rang exactly thirteen times before it ceased. Lauren waited a moment to see if it would re-commence. When it didn't, she took a quick glance back up towards the sky and then stooped to examine her newly-discovered "keyhole". On close inspection, she found that it wasn't circular but octagonal and immediately she dug in her pocket for the coin she'd found under the bush. She held it in front of the "keyhole" and found it was the exact same size. Was this it? Was this what she was here for? In her dream, she remembered, it was a tree in which the coin's outline had been impressed. Here it was a large black stone. She looked at the coin and wondered which side she should touch to the outline. The black C or the green C? The black letter seemed more appropriate to the surroundings but...should the black go inward to make contact with the black stone or outward where it would blend more harmoniously? And did it make any difference? Lauren felt somewhat concerned about the possibility of further environmental havoc if she should  make the wrong choice in setting the coin in its place. She looked at it closely and there seemed to be no clue. She looked at the glowing outline and there was no answer to find there either. "If you expect me to do something without telling me what it is or how to do it, then you have to take whatever happens without wrecking the place, ok?" She wasn't sure if she was talking to the coin or the stone or the whole world around her. She then flipped the coin a little ways into the air, deftly caught it and slapped it down on the back of her other hand. The black C was facing her so she took it and placed it on the glowing outline, black letter to the front. It remained in place when she released it and soon began to rotate slowly in a clockwise direction. Simultaneously, the bell above began to peal again. Unconsciously, Lauren counted the bell tones. When the coin had turned 180 degrees it stopped, just as the bell rang its thirteenth peal and also stopped. Lauren waited in vain for something to occur. Then, the coin shuddered as if it were loosening. She touched it and it fell into her hand with the green C uppermost. This gave her an idea. She took the coin and placed it back in the outline with the green C visible and upside down. At once, both the rotation and the bell tones resumed. Thirteen peals and 180 degrees later, both ceased and Lauren again caught the coin as it loosened from the outline which soon faded away. And now, with the surety of something happening  presently, she found she could wait patiently. The bell had tolled thirty-nine times, she thought. That was the same as the number of steps she'd climbed up from the lower level. She wondered how many glowing rings had led her here to this big black whatever-it-was. She looked behind her. The rings were all gone. Except for the large one she was still standing on. As she looked down at it, her eyes were drawn to the bottom of the stone in front of her feet. A point of light had blinked into existence and then started travelling up the rock. It rose straight to a point about twice as high as she was and then moved about a yard to her left and then turned and moved back to the ground. Three sides of a glowing rectangle had limned themselves in front of her. It must be a door. But how did it open? She waited for it to move on its own, but it didn't. She hesitated to touch it, remembering having her finger stuck to it. "Open sesame," she shouted, knowing it wouldn't work. "Ding, dong, ding, dong," she chanted, thinking of all the different bells that had been accompanying her throughout her journey. To her surprise, the black substance within the glowing outline began to slide down into the ground. Of course the door would open in the very last way that she had expected. But at least something was happening. The door slid completely out of sight, leaving no sign on the ground in front of her that anything had occurred. She hadn't even had to vocalize any further. She looked into the large space in front of her. It was very shadowy, the only light being what entered through the recently opened doorway. It looked like a large empty room with black floor and black walls and no ceiling to speak of. And a rocking chair right in the middle? Yes, and it wasn't even black. It was a warm off-white color that seemed especially inviting in its sombre surroundings. Without a thought, Lauren walked right up to it and ensconced herself like a queen on a throne. She gently rocked herself back and forth. Her eyes closed and she thought how nice a drink of water and a snack would be at this moment. She found herself once again counting, this time her oscillations as she rocked back and forth. Three. Four. It was so pleasant to sit and relax. Seven. Eight. Back and forth. Twelve. Thirteen. The number called to something inside her and she stopped rocking and opened her eyes. There was a small table directly in front of her with some bread, cheese, fruit and an earthenware cup. She lifted the cup and sniffed the contents. The water was delicious.