actions and symptoms. That is when they suspected that they were being afflicted by the same thing and realised that the Spartans could be their only hope to combat it and maybe cure it. How to isolate and extract whatever it was that gave the Spartans that edge, was beyond their medical capabilities, but they sure would have tried anything, even the transfusion of blood from Spartans to Athenians.
‘How, though, to isolate what you don’t know, the enemy within you cannot see? How could you bind back together the lost vestiges of soul and body that had been scattered to the far corners of the earth?
‘The Spartans, ignoring the politics of war, without asking anything in return, no “conceding-ignominious- defeat” concessions and terms demand put forward, were ready to help the Athenians, even with the advent and tension of the war, but events intervened and they failed to do so.
‘They were halfway through the process, as we tried to help them with our technology, and knock our heads together, to work on a cure, when we had to abort the process, because of some horrific side effects. The ceasing of the experiments led to even more terrifying consequences for both cities’ populations and their allies. Of course history never did seem to record any of this.
‘And we did more, more for which to be proudly ashamed. In our mad, disconcerted state of self, our distorted world, we didn’t know what we were doing. We committed sacrilege. It was us that caused the mutilation of the “stile”, the stone phallic symbols of fertility, standing sentinels outside the entrances to Athenian homes.
‘Don’t you see? We were responsible for the accusations against Alcibiades for the committal of that sacrilegious offence and the crucifixion of the Sicilian expedition. We accidentally triggered, fed and fired up the flames of resentment and scheming of the brilliant general’s demagogue accusers and their rise in the perfect democratic environment. You need to help us go back there and then and fix what we’ve done.’
Katerina was patiently listening and, as the self-appointed representative of the four visitors, leaned in close to reply. ‘Well, it may be a little too late for that. That will change too many of the events that followed in the last two and a half thousand years.’
The old man had more to say. He must have been saving for a long time the urge to, at long last, tell his story, this torrent of words that had now broken the dam holding them back and was flowing freely on a mission to incite compassion, a reaction, help, a solution.
‘What we did, in response to the vicious assault on our way of life, on our life itself, was a terrible thing, but we could not see any other way out of our predicament. But we lost everything. We need your help to put it right. For all our sakes.’
‘How can we help you? And how will that help us?’
‘The war with our neighbours, compounded with the plague, ravished and decimated my people. The only survivors, apart from me and my companion, are two children in a laboratory close by.’
‘So there are more? And they are alive?’ Katerina asked surprised but hopeful. Her sadness was beginning to lift, if even a little.
‘In a way.’ The man saw Katerina’s mouth about to move and anticipated her question. ‘Later.’
Katerina asked the question she had been meaning to ask since they first saw them. ‘Tell me, what is this state you are in, the flashing in and out of consciousness? We have not seen that before. Why is it happening to you? Are these the side effects of the experiment you talked about?’
‘I suspect there will be a lot here you have not seen before. This is a kind of stasis. It was the only way to do it for our survival. We managed to do it just in time, before the evil claimed us too. Everybody else perished, gone forever. I’m all that’s left.’ He indicated his companion. ‘This child was conjured up to keep me company and protect me from intruders, enemies and alien invaders, until he deemed it safe for me to come out and reveal myself.’
There were hostile noises behind them that were becoming progressively louder. The Ruinands were approaching. Katerina, Vasilis, Lara and Aristo had to move on, but not before they tried to help these people if they could, even though it might have looked like there was no hope.
‘I’m afraid we may have brought in some trouble with us.’ Katerina said, her face a picture of apology and shame with a bit of a frown born of fear thrown in as honest seasoning. She was in the mood to hide her feelings at this time.
The old man smiled at Katerina. ‘Don’t worry. It can’t be any worse than what we have faced already. We have suffered more than our fair share of pain in our time. Please forgive my companion’s brashness and audacity. You may join us for a meal and some local entertainment should you so wish.’
The feast organised in honour of Katerina, Vasilis, Lara and Aristo was splendid, made all the more so by the splendour of the hall they were in. The amount and variety of the dishes on display was impressive for such a lack of hands to prepare them.
One did not know where to look, what to taste first. The dishes were causing the table carrying them to slightly sag from their combined weight to the point of precipitating a near collapse. The four visitors felt supremely pampered. However, the feeling of ecstasy did not last long.
The old man saw the suspicion by which the four visitors were studying the various dishes. ‘Don’t be afraid of the food. It’s like what you might have in your own world. We have made it our mission to find out in preparation for this moment.’
That simple comment, that humility, gave no warning about the experience the four visitors were to embark on. With every mouthful they could see the history of this place unfolding before their eyes and fill their minds.
Katerina, Vasilis, Lara and Aristo were in the first stages of a trance. They kept shaking their heads with every mouthful.
The old man decided to make an announcement and he clanked on his glass with a spoon. It was hardly necessary as one could hear a pin drop in the silence that had descended on the visitors, faced as they were with this splendid feast. Yet, out of respect for their host, the visitors’ good manners forced them to cease eating.
Once the clinking of cutlery on plate paused and a hush fell on the table, the old man, satisfied that he had everybody’s attention, as four pairs of eyes zoomed on him, made his announcement with a flourish and a hint of irony.
‘Edible, but not without a twist. Please remember, you can all stay here for as long as you wish. Please enjoy all on offer and remember to rest too. Time in here has almost ground to a halt. So at least you won’t have to worry about anything you may miss in your world. The delay will be negligible, barely a thousandth of a second.’
Out of nowhere a figure appeared, an odd-looking half furry animal, half humanoid, apparently from the neighbouring realm, and asked for food. His plea fell on deaf ears. He asked again and then he begged and begged.
The figure was completely ignored by the old man and pushed away by his companion. The figure, feeling desperate for being ignored, vanished in a puff of smoke. Was it dead or just gone?
Katerina and the others could not understand why the figure was receiving this brutal treatment at the hands of their host and his companion, a treatment that resembled that of brutal master to slave or beggar in desperate need, for that was what the figure was, or bothersome dog, but they were reluctant to ask.
The old man, though, saw the puzzlement on the faces of his guests. He knew he had to address the matter. His expression was harsh and unforgiving. His words when they came were delivered in a soft and sad tone, as a drone’s droll.
‘That creature was one of the few remaining inhabitants of our neighbouring realm. They are desperate too, in some ways more so than we are.’ Two children appeared next to the old man as if by magic. ‘These two children are for you to take away and to raise as your own.’ Katerina and the others shared the thought that that was a quick trip from the laboratory, however nearby that may have been. ‘We will also need an infusion of blood from all four of you. You are the first visitors we have ever had. You are the ones we have been waiting for for generations.’ He paused.
When he resumed, the droning droll theme unashamedly continued unabated. ‘We need your blood to refresh our own blood and cure the sickness brought by inbreeding as our numbers dwindled. And if you help us you will lift the curse put on us by our neighbours that bounced back at them. And then hopefully both we and they may finally, after all this time, return to our normal lives.’
His eyes connected with Katerina’s, transferring their plea before the connection was severed. Katerina turned to their host and nodded, accepting the challenge on behalf of the four of them. That was the test. By their acceptance of the task they had overcome the risk and the fear of the unknown. They had passed the test.
The old man smiled. Was that a jubilant expression on his face or did they imagine it and their mind was
