Welcome to the last chapter of the Advent of Smouse.
Chapter 19.
No Way Home.
The sound of the television wakes them.
It's morning and Exe and Perry,
Who are both dressed,
Are watching the ABC News.
Perry's exclamation of dismay brings Mentor to her side.
OMG!
It's the bluff!
The storms caused a landslide.
She calls out to her parents who are in the kitchen.
Mum,
Dad,
Look at this.
The whole cliff has slipped.
They leave what they're doing and hurry over to watch as a reporter describes the scene.
Beyond the devastated vegetation,
The pathway down to the beach has been cordoned off with security tape.
A small crowd has gathered to gawp.
A helicopter provides an aerial view of the beach at the foot of the bluff.
A large wedge of the upper layer of red sandstone has dropped onto the rocks below,
Obliterating the rock pool.
The sad howl of anguish from Smouse,
Who has unobtrusively joined them,
Diverts their attention.
Mentor rushes to his side.
He looks at her in horror.
You knew?
She shakes her head.
I knew something was wrong.
I couldn't get into the space orb last night.
I didn't want to stress you further.
A tear slips from Smouse's eye.
How will we get home?
What's wrong,
Smouse?
Mentor?
Vera Black kneels down beside them.
Smouse looks at her but doesn't see her.
He instantly realizes,
If Mentor couldn't access the space orb,
That in his weakened state he has no chance of transmuting and transporting himself there.
And if the television report is accurate,
Even if he could,
There's no way of launching the space orb if it's buried under tons of red sandstone.
I have to see it,
He says out loud.
See what?
It's Perry who has joined her mother.
Smouse looks at the television.
The landslide?
Smouse nods.
Perry frowns,
Knowing the path down is barred,
But seeing how upset Smouse is,
She says,
Okay.
X and I will take you.
When her father looks surprised,
She adds,
We know a back way down.
There's a half overgrown track.
X is only too happy to help.
He's almost out of the door before Perry can gather Smouse in her arms.
The parents caution them to take care and watch anxiously as they leave the house with Mentor in close attendance.
They head along the beach road,
Away from the cordoned off track for about 100 meters before crossing and slipping into a barely defined gap in the undamaged bush.
X leads the way.
The faint path follows the curve of the cliff through thick tea tree around the far side of the bluff,
Out of sight of the police and television crew.
It's Mentor who spots the break in the vegetation that reveals a series of rough hewn steps that lead to the beach.
She carefully guides them down.
There is no actual beach here.
Large rocks rise from the water and spread to the base of the cliff.
Keeping close to the cliff,
They edge their way round until they can see the rock fall.
The area is clear and they are able to move quite close to where the rock pool was.
Mentor searches and searches,
But there is no sign of it.
It's gone.
The sadness in Smouse's voice stabs at Perry's heart and an incredible sense of loss and homesickness flows through her.
She has a sudden mental picture of Imperium and recognizes that somehow this means that Smouse and Mentor can't go home.
She hugs him tight as Mentor comes to her side.
Oh,
Smouse,
I'm so sorry,
She whispers,
With her face buried in his soft fur.
She doesn't register her brother's surprise reaction as Mentor suddenly springs up and bounds across the rocks towards a person standing close to the water,
Observing them.
It then takes a moment or two for Perry to realize that Smouse is no longer in her arms.
She looks at X and then follows the direction of his gaze.
Mentor is standing beside a tall,
Elderly,
Regal-looking lady who is wearing a coat of spun gold.
She has snowy,
White-braided hair and a gentle smile.
Smouse is wrapped in her arms.
She locks eyes with Perry and Perry senses her power,
Her age,
Her wisdom and compassion.
She instantly knows who she is.
Smouse talked about her when he was describing Imperium.
She is Pax,
Grandmother of Angelica,
Wife of Ag and sovereign of the universe.
A beam of sunlight catches her coat and dazzles Perry and X.
Safe in Pax's arms,
Smouse begs to say goodbye,
But she warns him that she can only hold open the portal through time and space back to Imperium for a brief moment.
And if they miss it,
He and Mentor will be stuck on Earth.
The dazzling sunlight vanishes.
They are gone.
Perry and X blink rapidly,
Trying to focus.
They frantically scan the rocks and see.
There is no sign of Pax,
Mentor or Smouse.
All that remains is a small,
Shining object where they stood.
Perry tentatively steps towards it,
X right behind her.
She recognizes it immediately.
It is Smouse's copy of the guide.
She lightly picks it up and rests it in the palm of her hand.
It is tiny in her hands and as light as a feather.
A warm heat flows into her palms.
The front color is a deep indigo color like the depths of the night sky.
The words,
The guide,
Are embossed in gold in an ancient script.
They seem to pulsate within the darkness.
Minute sparkles of light appear and disappear.
She looks inquiringly at her brother and he nods.
Both hold their breath as she opens the book.
The words in an ancient script shimmer in colors of the rainbow before they settle.
They read them in silence.
On your planet.
I am you.
You are me.
We are one within the fabric of life.
Love me.
Love you.
Nurture me.
Nurture you.
Destroy me.
Destroy you.
Save me.
Save you.
Abandon me.
I am you.
The end.
Or is it?
Three thousand kilometers away on the northwest coast of Australia.
In the city of Geraldton it is still dark.
Suddenly all the lights of the whole city fade into a thin red line and go out.
Thank you for joining me and sharing in the story of Smalls and Mentor.
I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope that some of the thoughts and ideas within it can help make life more harmonious and happy.
Take care.
Stay safe.
With love,
Estelle.
