The Orchard of Hope (14 page)

“Why is this
significant?”

“Because time is the stuff that
life is made of, and life is the basis of reality. You’ve taken
your very first little bite of reality. How did it
taste?”

“Not as good as meat, I’ll bet,”
Newton replied with mock sarcasm and a smile.

“I think that it’s only made me
hungry for more,” said Nicholas.

“Good!” Moss said, clapping
triumphantly.

Chapter

Nine

The City of Eternal
Beauty

“That was the
best illness I
’
ve had in a while,
”
Roland sighed with contentment as he slowly got
off the ship.
“
It felt like someone was pulling my intestines up through
my throat.
”

“I understand
that you enjoy being seasick, but I don
’
t know why,
”
said Kelsey.

“I
don’
t really enjoy it the way that
you
’
d enjoy a
nice piece of cake or a beautiful sunset. I enjoy the novelty of
the experience,
”
he said.
“
I don’
t ever catch colds or
viruses, and I never feel pain like the average person. Being
seasick is the only way to remind me of what it means to be alive
and human. That
’
s what I love about it. I enjoy the insight it gives me
into what a person feels when they pass from life into death. I
feel more connected to people when I suffer.
”

“He enjoys
being seasick? What did he say?
”
Maggie asked and Kelsey relayed the
conversation. After Kelsey had finished, Maggie continued.
“
I
didn
’
t think
that Death had much compassion. But if he just said what you told
me, then he may have more compassion than anyone.
”

“You
’
re very smart,
Maggie,
”
Kelsey
said after she thought for a few moments.
“
You don
’
t look at things the same way that I do, but maybe
that
’
s a good
thing.
”

“Perhaps we can
help each other. That
’
s what my friends and I did in the orphanage before it
became a school. Well, we still help each other, but the place is
different now.
”

“What was it
like before? How has it changed?
”
Kelsey asked with interest.
“
Nicholas has told me a little,
but I
’
d like to
know more.
”

Roland smiled
but didn
’
t
interrupt the conversation. He led the way towards what appeared to
be a city on a hill. It was large and had tall buildings, but all
the structures were completely walled in with a small forested area
on one side of it. A set of large ornamental brass gates stretched
across the road. The gates were open, and there were no guards, so
the group passed through with ease. It was still daylight, and
according to the wooden sign posted outside, the gates
wouldn
’
t be
closed until dusk.

Entering the city, they saw all
kinds of shops. Roland ignored the storefronts as he made his way
past them, but Kelsey noticed the elaborate window displays for
even the most common items. There was a cutlery shop with a
synchronized laser light show on the different knives, making them
appear like rock stars on stage. It made Kelsey smile.

“I
’
d love to go shopping
there,
”
she
said with excitement in her voice.

“Not me,
”
Maggie replied.
“
I
’
d rather go next door. That place looks really
cool.
”
Kelsey
examined the display to see a model town with small, controlled
explosions going off intermittently.

“What are they
selling?
”
Kelsey asked.

“Combustibles,
”
Maggie replied.
“
And stuff to make explosives.
It
’
s sort of a
hobby of mine.
”

“Really?
”
Kelsey asked in surprise. She hadn
’
t thought of Maggie having a
penchant for destruction.

“Oh, yes, I
made things blow up all the time in the orphanage. I even learned
how to make different colored flames. It depends upon what kind of
metals you pack in with the gun powder. It
’
s really an
art,
”
Maggie
said.

Kelsey looked at Maggie with a new
sense of appreciation. The king was much smarter than she had given
him credit for being, she decided. Having a friend who knows about
explosives could be very useful.

As they continued walking down the
main road, Kelsey watched a team of workers sanding and polishing a
group of tall statues that lined the street. The marble structures
had been polished to such a shine that the faces and other features
were worn off. It was difficult enough to tell that the figures
represented human forms, but it was impossible to tell if these
were once male or female. There were indentations where the eyes
should have been, but they looked more like shallow dimples. Kelsey
could make out a knob in the places where the noses should be and
she could see the faint outline of lips. All of the statues looked
this way. They were nearly featureless but shining brilliantly from
the polishing.

“There are no
faces on these statues,
”
she whispered.
“
Are they supposed to have
faces?
”

“We
’
re in the City of Eternal
Beauty,
”
Roland
said as he adjusted his hat on his head to ensure it was securely
fastened. He tugged on his cravat to pull it up tightly around his
chin.

“The City of
Eternal Beauty?
”
Kelsey asked with confusion in her voice. She quickly
glanced around.

“Those are the
ugliest statues I
’
ve ever seen,
”
Maggie said in a somewhat loud voice. Kelsey discretely
looked over at the workers to see if anyone had heard
Maggie
’
s
statement, but it appeared that no one had. The workers were too
busy discussing which parts of the statues to polish.
“
Why are they
polishing them so much?
”
Maggie
’
s voice was much louder this
time, and the workers turned to look at the group when they heard
her question.

“Why are we
polishing them?
”
a worker said as he turned to look at Maggie.
“
To get ready for the
big funeral, of course. But we always keep them beautiful. Each one
of these is marvelous in a different way, and
they
’
re all
significant for a unique reason.
”
He pointed to a statue half a block away.
“
That
’
s
the wife of the founder. She
’
s holding the key to the city.
They say that it was the most beautiful key that ever was, but the
original was lost some time ago. Now all we have is this replica on
the statue.
”

“I
don’
t see her holding
anything,
”
Maggie replied.

“It
’
s right there!
”
the worker said, pointing
halfway down the featureless marble column.

“Nope,
”
Maggie replied shaking her head.
“
Nothing
there.
”

“Get closer.
You can
’
t see
anything from this distance.
”

Maggie walked all the way over to
the statue, and Kelsey followed her.

“Do
you
see
anything?
”
Maggie asked as she studied the figure up
close.

“There
’
s sort of a line here,
”
Kelsey replied, pointing to what looked like a
subtle diagonal bump in the column. It was about seven inches in
length.
“
It
’
s not much, but can you see how
it kind of bubbles outward?
”

“Yeah. Sort
of,
”
Maggie
said with agreement.
“
But it looks nothing like a key.
”

“These statues
barely look like people.
”

They walked back
over to the team of workers and stood next to Roland. The workers
didn
’
t
acknowledge Roland or attempt to speak with him, and Kelsey
wondered if they could see him.

“Did you see
the key? Isn
’
t
it lovely?
”

“I think
so,
”
Maggie
said after hesitating.

“That
’
s
why we have to keep these splendid works highly polished – so they
don
’
t lose
their beauty, especially now that we need to plan for the funeral,”
the worker said. “If the procession passes through town – which we
think it will, because we
’
re the most beautiful city in
the kingdom – we want everything to look extra
special.
”

“But
you
’
re taking
away everything that makes them unique,
”
Maggie said.
“
Now they all look the
same.
”

“We
know they
’
re different,
”
he said.
“
That
’
s all that
matters.
”

“Is
it?
”
Maggie
asked, but before she could continue her questioning, Kelsey was
tugging on her arm, pulling her away.

“You
’
re doing a great
job,
”
Kelsey
said to the worker.
“
Thank you for taking such good care of them. It was nice
meeting you.
”
She forced a smile as she pulled Maggie down the
road.
“
It
’
s no use talking to
them,
”
Kelsey
said once they were down the road a way.
“
They don
’
t see what
they
’
re doing.
The only thing they see are their intentions.
”

“This place is
weird,
”
Maggie
replied.

“What is this
place, Roland?
”
Kelsey asked, turning to look at him.

“The City of
Eternal Beauty.
”

“It
doesn
’
t look
that beautiful.
”

“I
didn
’
t say it
was beautiful. It
’
s called that because the people here try to preserve
beauty. I didn
’
t say they were successful at it.
”