Chapter 2 The Path Chosen

Chapter 2

 

                                 The Path Chosen

 

“The last thing I want is to be in charge of day care center! I’m glad Don decided to put Krystal in charge of this base and the sooner the better! I can’t wait to get back into space.”  Susan Cuervo says to herself when the viewer closes. “Two weeks should be ample time to train Krystal on how the basics run around here. After that, setting up the school will be left up to her and Sarah Saloone.” She exits the Control Center heading towards the training section of the building to organize the materials Krystal will need.

Don rises from the Chair telling his X.O. Lt. Commander Dootiarme that he has the bridge and enters the Mission Room. Shortly thereafter, Dawne enters and sits down.

“Don, I thought we came aboard so that we would have an adventure as a family, now you are sending the kids and I down to that planet? Why?”

“Dawne, we discussed this already and with what we have experienced so far Clay and I just think that the kids will be safer on Shambles rather than traveling all across the cosmos. Doc has qualified you as a doctor now, so I want you in charge of the medical facility down there, as well as keeping an eye on Krystal, with her being pregnant and all. ”

“That’s not it and you know it! We were having problems before Clay invited us on this adventure and now, instead of facing the issues coming between us you decided to put me on some godforsaken world while you go off and have a blast! That’s it, isn’t it?!” Dawne says as the tears start to well up.

“Ok, that may be part of my reasoning for having you and the kids on the planet. I just feel that we need a little time apart. Just time enough to clear our heads. I still love you. I just need to deal with these issues and when I do things will be back the way they once were.”

Getting up to leave, Dawne turns and looks Don in the eyes, “ Don, you have said that before, you promised to seek out help for your “issues” and I’m not sure I can keep waiting. I’ll go with the children to the planet and when you have worked thru your “issues” maybe, just maybe I’ll be ready to become a couple again!”  Quickly she turns away so Don doesn’t see the tears start to fall, and exits the Mission Room.

            Later on in the day he receives a list of crewmen from the department heads

And from those lists he chooses the complement that will make up the base personnel. Each crewman is informed that they will be remaining behind, and that when they go planet side for shore leave, they should take all of their personal belongs with them.  

After initially resisting the transfer Krystal acquiesces and begins her training. She finally gives into Don’s thought process that it would be safer for her and her soon to be born children if she stayed on Shambles. Within a couple weeks she finishes her training and assumes command of the Shambles Base of Operations.  Krystal assures Don that she will be able to handle the base and he shouldn’t worry. With that and one final hug and goodbye to Piper, Frank, and Dawne, Don enters the shuttle and returns to the Stars and Stripes. 

Following the final shuttles departure, Krystal turns and heads to her office. She sits at her desk and looks over the records of each of the eighteen children left in her care. Setting the Padd down she presses the intercom button and makes an announcement that tomorrow at ten in the morning, there will be an assembly to introduce the children to the schools Headmistress and teacher, and that in the meantime they are not to leave the school grounds.

After taking Thumper for a quick walk, Piper takes him back to her quarters. She returns outside to join Frank along with Heidi Gordon and Sean Paule who are outside exploring the school grounds. They notice a path almost overgrown with weeds and vines and consider ignoring it when suddenly a furry white creature similar in size and shape to a large rabbit sticks its head out from its hiding place and is startled by the children. It starts to hop down the trail as fast as its one leg will carry it.

Piper first looks at Frank, then the other two children, and back to the path. In a flash she is following it as fast as she can, bounding over branches, boulders and holes in the path. In mid leap the creature does a one hundred and eighty degree spin and watches Piper as she tries to chase it down.

Frank yells to Piper to come back, that they aren’t supposed to leave the grounds, just as she disappears around the bend in the path. With his sister out of sight Frank starts after her, stops and looks back at Heidi and Sean, saying, “Well? Aren’t you going to come too?”

Heidi looks at Sean and he returns the stare, finally saying to him “I’ll go if you do.” Sean looks at Heidi, then at Frank, and says “Fine, whatever. Lets go!” And the two of them follow Frank down the winding path.

After ten minutes of chasing the creature, it veers off the path thru the scrub brush and small trees toward a large bluff overlooking the forest that rises at a peculiar angle making a climb virtually impossible, and into a small opening at its base. Frank and the others finally catch up with her and being the big brother, he is about to scold his sister for taking off when the opening in the wall starts to get bigger! Large enough, in fact, for them to now walk into the opening standing upright.

Piper takes a step in the direction of the opening when Frank grabs her by the arm and says, “ Where do you think you are going? Not in that hole I hope! Mom would kill me if something happened to you!”

“She can’t kill you if you are with me!” and she turns back and starts walking towards the hole. When she gets to the opening she turns back and sees Frank walking through the tall grass but Sean and Heidi are still standing on the path.

“You guys aren’t scared are you? She says

Sean replies, “ Of course not it’s just that …well…I’m starting to get hungry!”

Heidi looks at him and says, “Sean that was so lame, even for you! I’m coming Piper,” she looks at him and says, “Come on chicken!” And Sean follows her.

As Piper enters the hole she finds a circular opening. The aperture is a stone tube that is polished smooth and frictionless. She peers down into the opening and it appears to have a slight illumination built into it. Suddenly, Frank enters the cavern with Heidi and Sean right behind him.

“Piper, don’t you even … I mean it! We have no clue what is at the end of that tube. There could be some kind of hideous creature waiting at the end! Piper, don’t!” he says. Too late, Piper darts up the few steps leading to the tube, quickly enters into it, and starts to slide. In mere seconds she has disappeared!

            In mere seconds, Frank hears his sister start screaming, and he jumps up into the tube headfirst, and in a flash is gone!

            Heidi looks at Sean as she starts up the stairway and says, “Let’s go, they may need our help!” She reaches the tube, steps into it, and slides away.

            Sean hears his friend scream moments later and he turns back towards the hole in the wall to go get help but the hole has shrunken to the size that only a mouse could crawl through! He hears the screams again, and then silence. He stands in the cavern alone in the dark except for the faint glow of light from the tube. Finally, gathering all of his courage, he climbs the stairs. Entering the tube he sits down, holding onto the edge. Slowly he releases his grip and starts sliding down thru the tube to who knows what!

As Sean’s slide comes to an end, he feels the surface of the slide start to change, becoming less smooth. The friction on his bottom from slowing down causes his butt to start to get warm, and the weird texture of the tube causes him to scream. At the edge of the tube his legs dangle, and he looks around.

The chamber has a floor as smooth as glass. There are two walls as smooth as the floor. The far wall curves, with the ends meeting the wall that the tube is in. In the center is a large mound rising up from the floor. Spying his friends, he quickly jumps off the tube and runs over to them. As he does, he sees a ghostly apparition standing on a chunk of stone rising from the floor behind them.

            “Guy’s, there’s a…a… g…gh…ghost behind you!” Sean stutters, barely able to get the words out.

            “It’s ok Sean, he’s not a ghost, not really anyway. He’s kind of in-between his dimension and ours. He says he is a teacher, but not a schoolbook teacher. He says he can teach us magic! He also can teach us how to use powers that we already have! Isn’t that cool?” Frank says.

            Piper chimes in saying “He hasn’t had any students for a very long time. He thinks he has been forgotten. I told him he could teach us, as well as some of the other kids too!”

            Then the teacher speaks “Hello, young one. My name is Vernon Wells and I am The Teacher of Magicks, as well as that of the Dark and the Light. I teach only the young whose minds are malleable, adult minds have closed themselves to belief in the Magick ways. And, while there are those that can teach the ways of either the Dark or the Light, I can teach you the ways of both. Only you can choose which path to walk. I offer you the chance to learn from me, but ask only that if you decide to bring others to learn that they be no older than the age that Frank is. You may speak of me to your parents and other children but no other adults. If your parents have concerns I will present myself to them and answer any questions they may have. Know that if your parents are not comfortable with you learning the ways of Magick, then I will not teach you and you will be banned forever from entering this chamber again. Do you all agree to this?”

            The children look at each other, then huddle in a group talking, and finally Frank speaks up for all of them saying that they agree.

            “Good” Vernon Wells says. “ The first spell I shall teach you is the spell of  ‘Guard’. This is a simple spell and will protect you from physical harm. Frank, reach down and pick up some dirt off of the floor.”

            Suddenly, where before there had been a floor smooth as glass, now there were small patches of dirt beneath their feet!

             “ Now reach above your head and at the same time drop the dirt on your head and repeat this chant, Draug em, twice aloud and continue to repeat it in your mind.”

            Frank repeats the chant, and when he does Vernon Wells instructs Piper to try to punch Frank on his arm. Needing no encouragement to do so, Piper tries to strike Franks shoulder, and as she does her hand strikes something a few inches prior to hitting his shoulder and glances off! Vernon Wells has each of the children practice this spell to ensure that they can properly recite the chant. Once they have completed practicing the chant the floor returns to smooth glass.

            Vernon Wells explains, “The spell only works if both the chant is spoken properly and you have dirt to drop. If you have one without the other then your spell will not work! You children have done well with your first spell. Your lessons have ended for today, for all except Frank who will remain behind.”

            “Vernon Wells, how do we get out of here? The tube only slides down and I don’t see any stairs.” Heidi asks.

            “Simply sit on the tube and you will slide backwards to the entrance.”

            And with that the children exit the cavern leaving Frank alone with Vernon Wells.

In front of Frank has appeared a stand holding a torch. “Child, try to increase the brilliance of the flame. Close your eyes and concentrate. See the flame become more brilliant in your mind’s eye.”

            Frank closes his eyes and concentrates. He sees the flame as a small dot and eventually it appears as the light he saw in front of him. Now he tries to increase the light, to make it become more brilliant. It does nothing. He strains, trying even harder. Still nothing.

He hears Vernon Wells in the distance say, “ Frank, try and extinguish the light.” And Frank tries. Suddenly the torch starts to become less bright. It starts to fade to the little dot it was when he started this exercise then, the light is gone!

            Vernon Wells instructs Frank to open his eyes, and the cavern that had been illuminated by the torch in front of him is now dark, the torch extinguished.

            “Very good, Frank. You have good control over the Dark power within you. Next I will help you gain control over the Light power within you. Tomorrow, when you come here, I want you to sit by the torch and concentrate on lighting it. When you do that, I will teach you the spell the children will learn tomorrow. Now, you may leave.” Frank turns towards the tube, sits in it, and watches as Vernon Wells disappears.