Chloe At Worlds' End
Chapter 8

Chloe decided it was again time to seek out Mother to confer with her in person. She said to the others as they sat in the houses’ kitchen

“I’m afraid I’m really at a loss as to what to do next, I think I will leave immediately to go find and talk to Mother” Onri said

“That does sound like a good idea… hey Alessandro, would you like to go swim in the lake?”

“Yes I would! Are we allowed?”

“Of course, it’s not far from here, lets the rest of us go as well…” Grog enthusiastically added

“Yes, let’s go!”

Chloe gathered the mist about her and went to the last place that she saw Mother in the forest. When she was there, she could feel her close by so she sat upon the ground near a fern and rested her back upon it. Her mind wandered about in thoughts of their present situation. She knew from reading about the past history of Chloe’s battles with Rajeem that their powers were too similarly matched to have much hope in successfully besting him in a direct confrontation. She then heard a rustling of some foliage and looked to see Mother Tortoise approaching from under the leaves of a bush. Mother said

“Good morning Chloe. It seems strange to see you resting upon that fern, for it was also a favorite place that your ancestor Chloe always chose to sit while visiting with me… and you are the spitting image of her when she was your age. It brings back many nice memories for me” Chloe responded

“Well that is comforting to know, thank you. As you’ve undoubtedly seen, events in Sanctum have spiraled out of control. Rajeem had contained himself inside the central computer, and that may have been the reason that he was able to make himself undetectable to us. But now the computer is destroyed”

“Yes, I watched those events as they unfolded and now I again have no trouble in seeing him. And as before, I am seeing his peculiar pervasiveness throughout this realm”

Chloe closed her eyes and let her mind travel into Mother’s dimension. She again found herself floating in that vast amber ether of consciousness. And along with her as before was all of the earths’ present life in the form of conscious strands of DNA. Chloe could also see that all of those that were human also had some of the code of Rajeem attached to them. She said

“Yes, I can see him here as before. But I still don’t understand it…” Mother surmised

“I am beginning to make some sense of it… when Rajeem took possession of the jewel and again had access to this realm; he knowingly re-infected the human genome with a code which it had only recently evolved past. As human kind had confronted it’s involvement in the destruction of the planets’ atmosphere and moved below the surface, certain destructive behavioral codes had written themselves out. The natural and necessary evolution of your races’ survival, which I and your ancestor Chloe had initiated, was successful. His having access to the jewel must cease to be… and we can only hope that when and if we are successful in denying him possession of it, that your race will again be able to evolve from this” Chloe responded

“I am at least comforted to have more of an understanding of what is at stake. Thank you Mother, I will leave you now and return to the others to ponder our next course of action, goodbye for now…”

“Good bye Chloe, I am always close by within your mind for communication, so don’t hesitate to ask for help”

“Thank you Mother”

Chloe opened her eyes to see Mother retreating whence she came. She stood, rubbed her sore neck from the ferns’ imprint of it and walked towards the lake. When she got there, the comical sight of Grog floating on his back in the water with Colin sitting upon his big round belly made her laugh. And she was surprised to see that their new friend Sissy had rejoined them, playing on the far shore with Onri and Alessandro as they splashed about. She sat upon the shore to watch and to think about their predicament. After a few minutes, Ms. Aggie waddled up from behind and joined her. She said

“Good morning Chloe”

“Good morning Ms. Aggie, are your children now all safe and sound in the bay?”

“Yes, thank you. Have you seen mother?”

“Yes, we just had a chat… and we are now again detecting Rajeem’s presence in her realm, but his exact location is still a mystery to us”

Suddenly, Chloe noticed the rapid approach of an aloft Mr. Carpet from the direction of the house. He landed just beside them in alarm, saying

“Chloe… there is an emergency at the house. Some strange creatures advanced upon it and began setting fire to it!” Chloe’s face contorted in horror

“Oh my god… NO!” Just then, all of the others ran up to them from the shallows. Onri had heard what was said and exclaimed

“Oh Chloe… we must hurry over there!” They all sped there upon a crowded Mr. Carpet after immediately clambering on. And as they cleared the last tree, they saw in fact that the house was certainly on fire at one of its corners, and there were three strange creatures holding torches and sprinting around its’ perimeter to finish their work. Alessando asked

“What are those things? They look like wolves… but they’re walking on their hind legs like men… and they are big!” Chloe screamed as she pointed her staff at them

“Get away from there!” The jewel flashed, emitting a violet bolt of lightning which hit one of them. It howled a shriek of death as it dropped the torch and crumpled to the ground. The other two looked up in surprise at them, then dropped their torches and retreated into the forest. The one corner of the house was still engulfed in flames, which were rapidly spreading. Chloe said to the others there with her

“I must find a way to extinguish this fast!” She looked over her shoulder to the lake and acted instinctively with her growing knowledge of the jewels’ power.

She raised the staff in both hands over her head and let it take her into the sky. The jewels’ violet colored and pulsating energy emanated and coalesced around her in a swirling vortex. She halted her upward motion and pointed her staff towards the lake. The vortex of energy funneled and swirled from it and trailed down to the water, striking it in a torrent of splashing spray and hissing steam. They all watched with mouths agape from Mr. Carpet as the swirling torrent of the jewels energy funneled the water into the sky and arced it over them. With heads turning as they followed its trajectory, they watched as the massive funnel of water struck and completely doused the entire structure. The house and their enchanted friends inside were saved! Chloe shuddered in relief as she hovered there in the sky, and then flew herself into the open doors of the attic balcony. She was joined by the others as Mr. Carpet landed there with her, encircled by their cheering and soaked friends of the attic.

A dripping Ms. Wingback Chair said

“Oh my goodness, we were frantic with terror… is the fire out?” Chloe answered

“Thank heavens, yes. Is everyone here alright?” a chorus of affirmation was heard

“Yes… oh thank you!” Mr. Grandfather Clock further queried

“But I think we are now going to be continually worried for our safety. What could happen if you are not here to help us next time?” Chloe touched her fingers to her chin in thought, answering

“Yes, we must think of something… I wonder if I can use the jewel’s power to return this house to its original location in old Oregon. I will ask Mother.” Mother was already there in her mind and answered

“Yes, of course that is certainly possible. Is that what you wish to do?” Chloe looked around the room at everyone

“Mother has just answered me and said that it is possible, as amazing as it sounds… does everyone wish this, and want to go on a little adventure right now?” Onri and Alessandro registered this shock upon their faces and Onri asked

“You mean go outside… now?!” Alessandro added

“That sounds most incredible… imagine that!” The whole room erupted exuberantly

“Yes… Yes, let’s go on an adventure… all of us!” Mr. Piano started playing an excited and frantic tune in his nervousness and Chloe giggled when she looked upon him. Sharing his anxiety, she said

“Well why not… let’s see if we can make this happen now!” She walked out onto the balcony to the railing, planted her feet squarely, and pegged the staffs’ base between them on the deck. Onri, Alessandro, Colin, Ms. Aggie, Grog, and Sissy all giddily followed her out to have their affordable views. On their way out Sissy said

“Sss… I don’t know what an adventure is…sss, but I’m excited to have one!” Chloe responded to her

“Well hello Sissy, I see you’re completely with us now with your speech active… welcome” Sissy answered

“Oh, thank you Chloe… Sss”

Chloe closed her eyes and queried Mother

“Mother, I’m really not sure what I should do next… this is much different than before when I knew where I was going…”

“Yes of course… but I do know exactly where this house was located before, as I was incremental in helping transport it here those eight hundred years ago. Go ahead and gather the mists around this entire structure and I will guide you there. It will be the most fantastic journey for all of you so I will try to allow some sort of a view as you go…”

Chloe complied. The rest of them watched as the jewel pulsed with a warming glow. Violet colored mists then surrounded the house. There was some swirling of the air about them which had the tangy odor of ozone. As static electricity pricked all of their hairs, the house began to groan… and move… it lifted above the ground as all of the constricting overgrowth of vines could be heard snapping apart. They could still see through the mists ahead of them as they all pensively gripped the railing in wonder. Alessandro yelled

“We’re moving!” With all of their eyes as saucers, they watched ahead as the whole house effortlessly glided simultaneously upwards and forwards. They passed over the trees… and then the lake. They could see the whole Zoo District. The flowered vine covered mountains… the lakes and streams… the eternal flaming volcano in the distance. They then came upon the black sand shores of the bay… and passed them as they proceeded over the bay. They were approaching the rocky walls of the cave… and they all gripped the railing even tighter… they were closer… they were upon it… and they passed into it? They all let out little uncontrolled and surprised screams. It became pitch black beyond the house, but they could still see about themselves amidst the violet colored glow of the jewel. They looked worriedly at one another in the din… but they were all just fine.

And then incredibly quick, as the jewel folded their space time, they were outside! They squinted as they looked about in the warmth of the sunshine… real sunshine… and they were over the ocean. Actually it was the Mediterranean Sea. Chloe then said to them

“It is possible that we could be in Oregon in an instant, but we can travel slowly for now if we prefer it… to see what none have seen for over eight centuries…” Alessandro was interested in geography and recognized it when he saw the isle of Sicily, his ancestral homeland. He exclaimed

“I recognize that as being Sicily… incredible! Never in a million years would I have believed that I would be seeing this now!” Ms. Aggie was looking downwards and said

“Oh, I would so love to swim in the sea… at least for a short time” Chloe said

“Well, I don’t see why we can’t land and at least celebrate this momentous occasion for a short time…” They all jumped up and down in their excitement, saying

“How exciting, hurry… hurry I can’t wait!” “Land on the beach… land on the beach!”

Chloe directed their path towards the largest and flattest part of the beach, which they were presently coming upon, and landed the house. It creaked and groaned under its own weight as it settled. They all cheered and whooped in the most excited glee… and then tore down the stairs and out of the houses’ front door. Ms. Aggie waddled as fast as she could towards the shore and dove under the waves. Sissy flexed her muscled flanks into the sand and was off as quick as lightning towards the brush of a palm grove, followed by the excited gait of Grog as he eyed the prospect of climbing for coconuts. Onri and Alessandro reached the warm waters of the sea in a tie as their race culminated in a stripping of clothes and diving in. Chloe looked down to Colin perched near her feet

“I think I would like to go sit in the shade of those palm trees… care to go with me?” Once there, they both lounged on the sand next to a rock. Chloe giggled at the impossible sight of their house sitting on the beach. She saw all of their enchanted furniture friends had moved themselves onto the balcony to sun and dry themselves from their previous dousing. Chloe said

“Well, this is most intoxicating just sitting here… outside. And just look how beautiful it all is!”

Colin answered her

“It certainly is! I think that I can’t contain myself… I must fly myself around and take a look, I’ll be back soon” and he flew off. Chloe rested dreamily with her back against the rock, taking in the fresh salty air, and watching her friends play in the glittering reflections of the sea and sun as she wriggled her toes in the warm sand. Her thoughts again drifted to her ultimate goals. Firstly she would see the house safely reinstated in Oregon. Secondly, she still needed to ascertain what Rajeem’s plans were. He had sealed in the populous of Sanctum… why was he bent on controlling their fate? It was clear to her now as she sat outside, that her races’ destiny certainly involved leaving there immediately and repopulating the planet.

After a short time, Colin returned and landed at her feet. He said

“Chloe, not far from here at the edge of the old city, I saw as I flew over it a very large statue of amethyst crystal… and it was a likeness of you!” She replied

“Hmm… I think that I can recall reading something to support what you are saying. It is a commemoration to my ancestor Chloe. It was at that site where she revived many townsfolk that were entrapped and frozen into crystal statues themselves” As she finished speaking Chloe noticed that not far away, at the shores’ edge where Onri and Alessandro were swimming, a familiar looking sea tortoise was emerging from the waves. Chloe said in surprise

“Colin look, Mother is here!” Mother could move fast as far as tortoises go and she was shortly upon them. Chloe said

“Mother…we’re graced with your presence… welcome!” Onri, Alessandro, and Ms. Aggie raced over to greet her as well. “Hello Mother, so nice to see you again” said Ms. Aggie. Mother replied

“Yes it is nice to see all of you out here enjoying this wonderful sunshine. But unfortunately it is more than just a social call that I am here, in fact I felt it necessary for my own safety to extricate myself from my domain” Chloe alarmingly queried her

“This sounds serious… what could have possibly happened?”

“It appears Rajeem is manipulating the genetic coding of all humans and also that of his and the rest of his brethren’s genomes. Since I am an amalgam of all life on this planet, I did not want myself tainted in this way. I have now isolated myself out here and exist wholly within this life form… and all of yours as well. I also had to extricate all of you from that domain so that you would also remain safe from his manipulations”

Chloe, Onri, and Alessandro looked worriedly amongst themselves. Alessandro asked her

“What is he doing to our race… and his?”

“It appears he is greatly evolving his… and devolving yours” Onri asked

“Those strange creatures which were setting fire to the house, were they some of them?”

“Yes most definitely, they were of course wolves which were evolved prematurely… at least by an eon” Chloe responded

“Oh my god… I’m afraid to ask what has become of everyone back home!” Mother replied

“It is as horrid as you could imagine… they would appear to you as more ape like than human” Chloe buried her face into her palms with worry, saying

“We can only hope that this is reversible… we shouldn’t delay here any longer. Does everyone agree that we should leave immediately?” Onri replied

“Yes, Immediately!”

Once they were again all assembled on the attic balcony with Mother now joining them, Chloe said to Mother

“Mother, I will gather the mists about us and let you lead us directly to our destination in Oregon” Chloe closed her eyes, and with her staff in hand, let the mists envelope the house. There was no feeling of movement this time, but in Chloe’s minds’ eye she could see beyond their ensconced opaqueness. They were immediately upon their destination, and with mother’s help as she synced her minds’ communication with her, arranged for them to halt their movement and to have the house hover over the spot in the forest where it once stood. She cleared the mists ahead of them as before in order to give them all a view.

As they all peered over the balcony railing, there were shared exclamations of wonder at the sight of a beautiful green forest. Grog saw as many trees as he could ever want to climb and explore, Sissy could see all the brush and rocks that she could lose herself among, Colin gazed at the endless high tree tops and mountains over which he could soar and glide, and Ms. Aggie’s attention pegged at the snaking gorge of a moving stream that she longed to dive into with her children… she wished that they were here with her, but for their safety she had left them back in the bay of the Zoo District. Alessandro, Onri, and Chloe jumped up and down in excitement as they took in the sights, sounds, and aromas of this lushness. Onri exclaimed

“This is beautiful beyond compare!” and Alessandro queried

“But where are we to land? Wherever this house once stood is now completely overgrown… there is no cleared spot”

With mother’s mind still synced to hers, Chloe pointed her jeweled staff at an area of the forest floor before them where the house had originally sat. A swirling violet mist propagated from it, and as it struck the ground, it widened and encircled a large area which became blotted from view within it. Then, as the wisps thinned and trailed off, their place for landing the house was revealed. They also noticed that there was an old dilapidated structure of a barn there as well. Chloe said

“Well… here goes!” The house simultaneously floated downwards and swiveled around to face the opposite direction towards the barn. As it set upon the ground there was much creaking and groaning of its timbers. As they all stood surveying the woods, most of their furniture friends also came out onto the balcony to join them. Ms. Wingback Chair said

“I truly feel that I am home… it has been so long… yet I remember everything about this place!”

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