Eric--Part Thirty-Nine

Splog # 171

Thirty-Nine

 "But he wasn't wrong about the stars," Bev said to Eric. "Since that night, we've all seen it. The white streaks and the stars vanishing from the sky."

 "And no word from Mae," added Nol.

 Eric felt sorry for Cor. He seemed to be hurt deeply by the disappearance of his sister. As Eric watched the man sitting with his head lowered, he wished he could do something to help him. But so many of the things he'd experienced since he'd arrived in this strange place hadn't been explained yet.

 "If there's anything I can do to help," he offered, "I would be glad to. But I don't even know where I am or why I'm here. Who were those people at the building that burned down? Why were they there? And how could they think I was you?"

 No one responded and Eric found it difficult to stop.

 "Where did that sword come from? And what did it do to me? And that statue of a sheep and other animals..." He turned to Splog. "What happened to me this morning? Or last night? Why was water dripping from nowhere onto the back of a chair? What's going on here?"

 His questions were addressed to his four companions as a group but, as Bev and Nol and Cor gradually focused on Splog, Eric wound up looking to him for some sort of response.

 Splog turned his head to gaze out the window and drummed his fingers on the table. After a little, he stretched himself and rocked side to side in his seat before looking back to the four faces with their expectant gazes.

 "Welllll..." he began, drawing out the last consonant in a studious way, "those are a lot of important questions that require straightforward and comprehensive answers."

 "And what about those other people who came on a train and we had to leave quickly?"

 "Ah, yes. Them..." Splog seemed to be engrossed in inner ruminations and Eric wondered why there was so much hesitation in answering his questions.

 "Eric, would you permit me to tell you a brief story which contains the seeds of all the answers you seek? After which, any specifics you may require will be eagerly furnished, of course."

 Eric merely nodded, feeling more confused than ever.

 "In that case, I'm going to ask Bev and Cor and Nol to excuse us for a period of time. Would you care to remain here or take a walk?"

 Eric said that some exercise would be welcome after the wonderfully filling meal.

 "Good. Let's go back and retrieve your shirt. Shall we all meet there in about an hour?"

 Cor and Nol and Bev murmured agreement and Splog and Eric headed from the green room. Eric gave a wave as he passed out of the leafy space and Bev waved back as the other two nodded.