The Escapist (13 page)

“You.  You. boy.”  Shocked, Oscar craned his neck to look for the source of the voice.  As he watched, a slight figure leapt off a branch and landed gracefully on the ground.  “I recognise you.”  The young woman spoke.  She wore a light, fitted tunic, though it appeared to be fashioned entirely from multicoloured leaves.  Her long, silvery hair was plaited in places to form a band which crowned her head.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met before.”” Oscar said, taking a few surreptitious steps away from the woman.

“Yes – yes, I saw you in a dream.  In Singeard.  You were trapped inside…”  The woman stopped, murmuring to herself, then considered Oscar for a moment.  Moving closer she peered into his face, her own just inches away.  With a jolt, Oscar recognised her.  She was the bedraggled young woman he had encountered at the Institute gates.  Who had spouted crazy warnings of ominous birds and which now seemed so long ago.  Oscar paused at the thought – the woman had been right to warn him about the birds, but they didn’t even exist in that world.  How did she know about them?  And more importantly, how was it that she was in this world with him now?

Whilst Oscar’s mind was processing this troubling information, the woman had closed the gap between them.  With a finger she gently prodded Oscar’s chest, recoiling her hand instantly. 

“Must be Vergil.  But how?
” she muttered thoughtfully to herself.  Considering her warily, Oscar had to acknowledge that at least she seemed more coherent than in their previous encounter, though it was still a struggle to make any sense of what she was saying.

“I know Vergil!” Oscar said boldly, trying to forge the link. 

“I’m sure you do.” The woman said calmly. “But do you know much more than that, I wonder?  Has he told you why you are here, where you are, what he’s done by bringing you?”  The woman stared expectantly at Oscar, though it was easy enough for her to read the answer in the boy’s expression.

“Well not exactly.” Oscar admitted, looking uncertain.  “He has only hinted.  But he’s a darn rat to get information out of.”

The young woman smiled at Oscar’s response. 

“Yes he is” she said.  “But perhaps I could be of more assistance.  My name is Tapie and I live here in the forest.  It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Hello Tapie, I’m Oscar.  I recognise you from my own world but you looked very different.  You warned me about the birds, though I didn’t understand the meaning until I arrived into this world”.

Tapie considered this thoughtfully before answering. 

“Ah yes, my dreams.  Bizarre as they are, it seems they take place in the physical domain – your world.  Singeard, as it is known.  But the dreams are blurred to me, and I find it hard to communicate.   When I live there it is as though I am trapped in a fog” 

“You seemed, well – crazy - in my world.” Oscar replied, not quite meeting the woman’s gaze this time.

“I’m sure I would do, as it is here where I truly belong – the spirit domain, Etiainheim.  Unfortunately it seems my life has been set backwards.” 

Oscar’s face creased in confusion but Tapie looked upon him with calm grey eyes.

“You see, this world and your own are akin: siblings, twisted parallels of each other.  Yet each requires the other’s existence.  In Singeard – your world - the material rules under natural law, where the mind of the individual is master of the body.  Here in Etiainheim, the ‘Itse’ are the corresponding souls to those individuals from your own world.  It is a shared living that spans dimensions.  When they weep, so do you, when you feel ecstasy so do they.” she paused momentarily as her eyes wandered up.  “Though not for me.  It appears my mind and soul was switched the other way.  I don’t really know how long I have been here, for time seems to ebb and flow.”

“So every human has a soul, I mean an ‘It-see’ and they live here?”  Oscar tried to summarise, stumbling over the new word.

“Yes, but it is not only humans.  Every living being has an entwined existence with its Itse.  They can take different forms, like human souls do, but they tend to remain similar.”  Tapie gestured to some hovering orbs just like those Oscar had passed on the way.

“There, see Oscar, is some creature’s soul.  Each orb represents some life form on the other side.  In your case your mind has traversed the curtain that separates our worlds.  Except, usually that would only happen when…well…”  Tapie looked suddenly solemn.

“When…?”  Oscar enquired, trying to stall his sense of foreboding.

“Well, when one dies.  And even then it is only briefly to reunite before passing to rest.  I’m sorry Oscar.”

“What?  When one dies?  No - but I can’t have.  Vergil mentioned the first time I came here I had briefly died, but this time. Surely he wouldn’t have”  Oscar tailed off not knowing what to think or indeed what to feel.  After all, he didn't really even know the rat; who was to say what he was capable of.  Looking away from Tapie in confusion, he tried to make sense of it all – could it be true?  As he struggled with the scale of what she had just told him, he was thankful for a distraction in the form of a sudden puff of mist just off to his right. With it, Vergil finally appeared and so too did the cat, flying over from the tunnel entrance.

“Ah Tapie.  I see you have met our guest.  I hope your mouth hasn’t been running away with you?”  Vergil enquired with a meaningful glare at the young woman.

Oscar interrupted.  “Vergil, am I really dead?” he asked.

“Ah, I see it has.”  Vergil said smiling sarcastically at Tapie.

“You cannot bring him here and not tell him where or how he has come to be.”  Tapie said impatiently to Vergil.  “I cannot believe you would dare bring him before his time.  How did you manage it anyway?”

“Still the same, Tapie.”  Vergil retorted.  “Blinded by rhetoric you refuse to even bend the laws.  You yourself are no regular occurrence.”  At this, the woman glared at Vergil fiercely but he continued speaking, appearing not to have notice. 

“Anyway something needed to be done about that tumour growing within the Institute.  And Oscar may just be able to help”. 

“It is not your place to toy with the veil separating the worlds Vergil.” Tapie retorted, with a dark look.  “You play with the threads of our existence”.

“Enough, both of you” Oscar interrupted, causing them both to stare at him as though they had forgotten he was there.  “Why bring me here, what can I possibly do?  And more importantly, am I really dead?  Vergil please just explain”.  Oscar looked back and forth desperately between Vergil and Tapie for answers.

“Oscar, relax, you are not dead.  Well at least I don’t think so.  I hope that…”  Vergil paused, mused to himself for a second.  “No no, I’m sure he’s not”.  Looking back up Vergil once again seemed unaware of his audience.  “Ah yes, well, it’s not exact but I’m pretty certain he’s not dead.  I myself on numerous occasions have crossed the veil, Oscar will be just fine.... I think”.

By now Oscar’s patience had eeked out its last drop and he turned fiercely to look at the rat. 

“Vergil, unless you start giving me some proper answers, this is as far as I go.”  In actuality this was an empty threat on Oscar’s part, for he had no notion of how to escape the world.  Fortunately though, it seemed this fact had not occurred to the rodent.

“Yes, fine.  Okay Oscar.  Let’s all remain calm - what's done is done, but I will try to explain.”  Vergil addressed the boy now, his voice resuming a rare sombre tone.  “Our worlds are akin, for each individual in your world is also a being in this one.  They do not often take the same form but it is still the same person, a shared self – a manifestation of that same individual across two worlds.  Each one’s actions have consequences to the parallel self.  Yet at the same time, neither is aware of the other’s existence.  Despite this, together they make a whole, a complete being.  Each needs the other to truly live.” The last words seem to trail from his mouth as an almost a despairing sadness sweep across his face.  The clearing went silent as all eyes focused on the rat, who for the first time since their initial encounter seemed open and vulnerable.  After a brief pause, he continued.

“You see, I have been watching this area for a while now.  Years.  Maybe too long in fact.  And I have seen a vile hatred sweep across the land, infecting everything in its wake.  That hatred has seeped into the Institute where that Maere, that forsaken soul, feeds off its fellow prisoners.”

“You mean the black dog?”  Oscar enquired, startled by the sudden realisation.  “From the moment I saw that black dog I could feel an evil presence”.  Although he hadn’t known beforehand what he was going to say the words rang completely true.  “What did you call it – a Maere?”

“Yes, Oscar. But that Maere is someone's corrupted soul from your own world”.  Vergil answered.

“You mean – that black dog - the Maere - is the counterpart of a
person
?  It must be someone terrible.  Edmund!  It must be Edmund, his soul is rotten alright”

Vergil nodded slowly. 

“I think you are right, I have seen the boy in your world for myself and wouldn't need to come here to realise his Itse is corrupted.  Though the devil is in the detail, as they say.  You see, whilst actions might seem slight on your side they can have huge ramifications here.  And the same is true in reverse.  Edmund is sickening the souls around him.  The link they have with the body and mind in your world becomes strained as they are infected, until…”  Vergil gave a shudder as though the implications were grander than Oscar could realise. 

Though he understood that Vergil must be implying something terrible, Oscar had no way of knowing what it was.  Seeing the boy’s blank expression, Tapie interjected.  “When the soul and the mind lose connection, it is hard to ever re-heal.  Each part can continue to exist, but it is a hollow form of life and they are vulnerable. Upon death they are doomed to search for each other as ghosts.  That is, if they have not been destroyed already – without the connection they have limited defences and cannot withstand the influence of other souls.  Drained of all resistance they become easy prey to those such as the Maere, under the influence of whom they become slowly blackened.  They have no strength to resist and eventually they too become so poisoned in both facets of life that they seek only to feed off the sickness and corruption of others, such as this boy you speak of; Edmund.  It is a vicious circle and the Maere are multiplying.”

Oscar looked from Tapie to Vergil, trying to process the information he had been given.  It sounded like a bleak situation alright, but he still couldn’t see how he fitted into it.  Vergil looked at him appraisingly. 

“I have been watching you Oscar, I've seen you stand up to him” he said.  “Then when you nearly died and your mind accidentally traversed the veil separating our worlds, I realised that you had broken the seal keeping your mind in Singeard.  I wondered if you might be able to cross again. So I brought you here.”

“You should never have tried.” Tapie chided, resuming her agenda with Vergil.  “You are dabbling with forces beyond your control and you do not know what the consequences will be.”

“Tapie, you too have seen the suffering the Maere cause, torturing the Itse they encounter until only a blackened husk remains.  With every passing moment more and more Maere drift into our lands, multiplying in corruption. We should not let it stand Tapie, not any more.” Vergil implored. “I'll be damned that if I'm to stay here I should have to watch the land and its Itse decay.”

Tapie paced the clearing, her head held high.  Her fine features were illuminated by the moonlight as she gazed into the cosmos, beholding its majesty.  It was a moment before she spoke, but when she did it was with a grave tone. 

“The sinister side of humanity will always exist Vergil.  You will never remove all Maere from our world for there is always a darkness within each of us.  What you did was foolish.  You know I never agreed with you possessing passed bodies before, but to do this - to bring a mind here before its time...”  She drew a deep breath and gave Vergil a penetrating stare, which was returned in force.  They held this position for a moment each searching the other's face, fighting a silent battle until eventually, with a profound sigh, Tapie conceded.

“Well, it has been done now”.  She looked toward Oscar and spoke earnestly.  “Though Vergil may still have the power to return you, Oscar.  After all, it was not due to natural consequences that you came here.  That should make it easier.”  She glanced meaningfully over at Vergil.  “I trust he will respect that wish should you choose to do so.”

Oscar stood considering his options for a moment, trying to weigh up all he had heard.  As he mused, the cat slunk over to him and curled at his feet, cleaning her paws.  Eventually Oscar spoke. 

“I think I'll stay.  I'm in no hurry to return to the Institute, and if like you say each world affects the other, well, then I would rather sort this out once and for all.  Vergil, I'll help you.”

The confirmation was all the rat needed, for he vanished in a flash, reappearing almost instantly on Oscar's shoulder.

“That's the spirit my boy! Or should I say companion... Let us rid both our worlds from this wretched presence.  After all fortune favours the brave.”  Leaping forward he brandished a twig as though it were a sword, slashing it through the air.

Oscar laughed, but Tapie remained solemn. “Since you have decided to push on Oscar, let me give you some advice.  A foreign mind traversing the veil is an uncommon occurrence and you might find Etiainheim more hostile than it usually is.  Only souls can properly communicate with other souls, so you will be isolated.  A feeling I am more than familiar with.”