Priya Echo's Adventure - Part 18

CHAPTER 54 - ERIC IN THE ECHO REALM

Location: Echo Realm
Date: Present Time

The man got to his feet and dusted himself off. A moment ago he was laying flat on the ground. It was a rude awakening, and it certainly was a long way down. The shirt as well had to be removed of litter and leaves. He turned around to get a good sight of the environs. “So this is what she’s been up to,” Eric observed. The earth stretched out, sculpted into the unmistakable shape of an anechoic chamber. It was a placid day and a few stragglers from the afternoon’s labors happened by. He took a few steps to find the balance that would keep him from falling back onto the ground. The trees around him were ripe with autumn. They felt a certain governance from the wind, and there was a velvety note to their bark. “Leave it to Priya to make a park look so excellent” he noted as the grass brushed against the trunks of the trees. The memory of her soft kiss shivered throughout his body, and it took a minute to regain full composure. Eric continued along a path, dodging a frisbee that a youth had flung with abandon. The stairs hugged the edge of the plateau, and they led down into the city. It was good concrete that stiffened the boot so to speak. The newcomer expertly located a sidewalk from which to observe things. He would study Priya from the inside out, and finally figure her out. The perfect girlfriend was just around the corner. It would be a cinch. As that thought congealed, he skipped down the sidewalk, navigating through locals, a self-righteous expression on his face. It was all going well when he caught sight of a bicycle rolling on down the street. “Hmm, that bicycle doesn’t have anyone on top” he pondered. The bicycle continued towards the wall of a three story building, and climbed up its wall until it crashed through a window on the second floor. It was then surprising to see the building itself bend from a rectangular form into that of a wheel and spin away. “How did that happen! The building just changed and went away!” he clamored. At the outcry a friendly local slowly explained to him that since the bicycle runs on wheels, it simply entered the building and converted it into a wheel as well. The explanation didn’t seem to touch the enormity of the situation. However, the crowd was incessant, and so he broke away again. The heart of the city would be towards the bustle, and so he turned north. A woman crossed his path with a certain blue dress that had a scene on it of water and a man being chased by an alligator. “Of course, that must be just a screen or something” he presumed. The mouth of the alligator desperately wanted to chomp his butt. The woman paid no mind, folding a purse and setting foot in a department store for a leisurely tour. “Whew” he sighed, tossing some sweat from his brow. Now that he thought of it, the Priya he knew from the start was a little different from all that confronting Telenon business. Over their heads, a toucan started flying with a cluster of grapes, and offered one each to the people walking along the sidewalk. In a generous reply, they tossed a coin to it. Eric kindly declined as he was in deep thought about Priya, but as soon as the toucan was gone realized what had transpired. The cocky student swiveled around on his heels to watch the toucan conduct his business. Everyone likes a good grape it seems. “What the flip is going on!” he hollered. Now the culture shock was starting to do a little dance number on his noggin. Eric rubbed his eyes profusely. Maybe he had woken up on the funny side of the bed. But no. At a sidewalk stand there was a couple on massage beds getting a backrub. They were grunting in the usual way that was completely devoid of the good old-fashioned shame their parents should have instilled in them. And above them were two elephants, pounding their backsides with their trunks. Kneading it real good. With a dexterous limb he flipped the man over like a pancake. That trunk did things that got rid of all the pain points. Eric took a step back onto the sidewalk squares, getting brushed from both sides but only weakly. The sounds of the crowd made waves down the thoroughfare, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The corridors led to places of denser life. As far as cities went, this one was mildly noisy. The road was where most of the action took place. He witnessed the jam until one car honked their horn. It was a family that passed up a slowpoke. A dad and mom with three kids. The car they drove wasn’t made of all that standard metal. Just a car made of toucans, even the steering wheel. Heat from the road was like a desert mirage. It cleared, and at the other side of the road, there was a line of stores. Eric went over them with his eyes to see if he could catch anything of importance. There was a store where people went up to the cashier and gave him money, and the cashier shook his hands at them. It didn’t seem to make any sense until Eric looked up and saw the title above, which read “Jazz Hands”. The patrons continued to wait in line, only to be showered with the performance of the jazz hands. Eric bolted into an alleyway to recover from the amazement. To be honest he was expecting some lighthearted girl stuff. The boyfriend didn’t know what to say. He scratched his four o’clock shadow which was kind of cute and not in a gross kind of way. “I didn’t know that she was so … flamboyant” he articulated. Going deeper, the alleyway led to a larger square area enclosed by brick tenements. Besides the road, there was one other path doubling the arrangement. An ordinary looking guy strolled past and pressed himself up against the brick wall. The inevitable sound of an unzip followed. Eric looked up to the sky as thunder commenced. Past the tenement roofs, the clouds were white, and the sky was blue. There wasn’t a rumpus in sight. He moved around the square trying to get a look to see if there was a storm coming in the distance, but nothing. After the local had found relief, he zipped his pants back up and moseyed on over. The guy put a hand on Eric’s shoulder, and looked him straight in the eye, “Dick’s a cloud bro”, and walked straight off back to the street. Woozy from the comment, the boyfriend fell back against the wall. A second later, he realized that Priya had indeed founded the magical human-weather hybrids in her echo realm. It was starting to become clear how exuberant she had become. “What ever happened to the low maintenance Priya who liked to hang out with her three friends” he wondered aloud. It was getting all psychological up in this joint. A memory of the girl delicately brushing his face made his heart waltz and pacified him, “All right. I get it now. Priya, one point. Eric, zero points. Now I’m going to go back to that city and get to the bottom of this”. Finding no barrier, he easily walked over to the neighboring alleyway square. “Shit” he thought, biting his lip. Ten street toughs, one uglier than the next. The guy in the middle had a falcon tattooed on his chest and he had apparently forgotten to button up his shirt. A messy game of jacks was strewn out across their feet. “Um, please be careful with that thing” he politely asked. A bead of sweat formed on his temple as he raised his hands to both sides. The tuff had his fingers in the holes of a partly chipped brick that would have been more aesthetically pleasing on the wall. “You ain’t from around here, are you?” he managed to utter. For Eric, It seemed the tuff was a little more curious of him than would suit his liking. “Not really, I’m from there” he admitted, pointing to the place beyond the clouds where you couldn’t get your hands on them diamonds even if you tried. “Get this fellas. This one’s from out of town. The big one”, the main guy called. Now he had really piqued his interest, and those of his friends. “Tell me, they got anyone as bad as me up there?” he questioned, poking the innocent boyfriend’s chest with the dull side of the brick. “Probably a lot of goody two shoes up there” one of them shouted. “I know one girl who is” he blurted out clumsily, redeemed with a soothing smile. The ones in back chuckled. “Already know that one, fella” his questioner said, a note of displeasure in his tone. As that situation was developing, another local just happened to wander into the alley. A noble looking man wearing a bathrobe with a long belt dangling down. “Are we done here gentlemen?” he inquired eagerly. The tuffs circled around their new plaything as one of the followers pulled a crowbar out of his backpack. Eric was staggered by what happened next. The man used his bathrobe belt and flung it against the main tuff. He shot backwards against the tenement wall as if he was made of feathers. Seeing their leader humbled, the others fell in. Some sort of martial arts with the bathrobe followed. The belt could curl around people’s limbs and sweep them off the ground. They turned upside down a few times as they were sent in all directions. Soon enough the floor was covered in sprained ankles and Eric slipped out of there back to the safety of the crowd. “Priya can be as weird as she likes as long as I can keep my lunch money” he vowed. A woman in a tan dress glided down the street. Her right hand gripped a dog leash and as he made his eyes down the length of it, he could see the canine was hollow and made of puzzle pieces. “Let me guess, this is the normal part of town” he parried. Touché. Eric was now intent on cataloging all the idiosyncrasies of his so-called girlfriend. Down the way, there was a man watering his plants in a glass terrarium on mechanical legs. Then there was a women’s shoe store, but all the shoes are glass and filled to the brim with jewels and diamonds. “Are you kidding me? This shoe is only half filled with diamonds!” a gutsy woman roared. Eric’s eyebrow twitched as she turned it upside down and poured all the stones on the carpet. “How are they supposed to wear them anyway?” he wondered. The lady was in furs, but they were man made. A surviving street tuff passed by the store like it was nothing and gave him a chin up before departing. The next block had some kids playing with spinning tops which grew in size magically, allowing one of them to jump on top and when they did they were spun so fast that they flew up into the air as if it was some kind of child launching pad. “THIS IS SO FLIPPING STUPID!!!” Eric hollered to the four corners of the world. “Do you need a guide my dear boy?” a handsomely dressed wizard with a conically shaped dunce-style cap and a blondie beard offered. “You know what … Mr. Wizard … take me wherever you’re going” he replied, grinding his teeth without showing it. Priya could do her worst. Did he not take her to that restaurant? Did he not buy her that dress? This was just another checkbox for the standard boyfriend bureaucracy. Hanging onto his shoulder with one hand, they weaved through the city until coming to a sidewalk next to an inclined hill, where he summoned a waterslide from pure magic and slid down. Eric followed him down, the water splashing against his sides like a waterpark on a summer’s day. Fencing contained a widespread ledge of walkable stone beyond which was a landscape that resembled a national park. The wizard was happy to spot the various landforms for him, as it would give the newcomer a breath of fresh air from the daunting city life. Eric felt a bit of relief and bantered with him. The conical hat was starting to look good on him. It was a wise fashion choice. The sky was so clear and only a few loitering clouds could be discerned among an aquamarine layer spanning the remainder of the world. “And that down there is the lake” the wizard mentioned, and it was dawning on him that he had not gotten his name. Eric turned to him to ask … but then something stopped him. “What was that above the lake?” he thought. After looking across the vistas of nature, he had turned quickly back to his guide. Instead of returning to that conversation, he swiveled back for a second look. The upside-down mountain hovered up and down, glancing the lake with its peak. From the exchange, gorgeous circular ripples fanned out across the rippling surface. Its motion made Eric drowsy. “She is very low maintenance!”. Felicia’s cheery, high-pitched voice. It resonated in his memory. That day at the spin class. It raced through his body, filling it with all the aquamarine purity of the sky. How had they been so naïve? In his mind he saw Priya again, pulling a strand of his hair down from his ear. She must have seen how brown it was and admired it. The moderately popular college guy felt the ambush of love enter his heart. He sat on a bench for consolation, “Alright, so my girlfriend is weird …. That’s the truth”. Bidding adieu to the wizard who was now captured by the freshness of nature, he made his way up a stairway that ran parallel to the waterslide. For some reason he had perfect navigational skills and effortlessly made his way back to the sidewalk where he first met the guide. The traffic felt like a time lapse as it blurred across his vision. Eric put his hands in his pockets until the melancholy subsided. The blues as they call it, and not even the jazz hands could help him now. “Hey buddy, is that you '' came a voice from the first lane. There was a big car whose wheels were hamster wheels, with a familiar face in the driver’s seat. That day in the park … the one that got away. No, not Priya. The other one. The little furry one. A big hamster face popped out of the window and motioned for him to come near. “Haven’t seen you in a while. I thought you were going to live under that bush” Eric replied cautiously. “Well buddy, life had other plans for me. Jump in the passenger’s seat and we can talk it over” the hamster advised, wiggling his petal shaped ears. He departed back to the road once his passenger was strapped in and comfortable. The invitation was of good merit and Eric gave a sigh of relief. Then things got personal. “So what’s the deal with the Indian babe?” the chubby hamster wondered. Eric rolled his eyes at the very mention of it, “She has magic powers and this whole world is her dream realm”. “Gotcha, a real tough customer huh” the animal said as he changed lanes. They drove through the city, trading pleasantries until the college guy opened up. It was about that time that a cultic officer noticed the interloper and blared his alarm. The hamster screeched the wheels to a standstill, and hand cranked the window until it was down.
OFFICER - Can I see license and registration?
HAMSTER - No prob officer, here you go.
OFFICER - Is that your friend over there? Looks like he’s not from around here.
HAMSTER - He’s an old friend officer, we met on the way here.
OFFICER - Is that so? The both of you, get your tails out of the vehicle.
ERIC - I don’t have a tail.
OFFICER - No tail huh? Good to know.
HAMSTER - Uhh … should have kept that to yourself bro.
OFFICER - In fact, I haven’t seen your face around here.
ERIC - I’m new to town officer.
OFFICER - And what planet are you from?
ERIC - Earth obviously.
OFFICER - Don’t get smart with me, new guy.
HAMSTER - Wait a second officer. I told you he was an old friend.
OFFICER - Can you vouch for him?
HAMSTER - Yes, certainly. He is a good guy.
OFFICER - And what makes him so decent?.
HAMSTER - Trust me. He has a girlfriend. He’s a real good guy.
OFFICER - You’re a real lucky guy.
ERIC - I do my best officer.
OFFICER - But that doesn’t mean you're good. I don’t have a girlfriend and I’m good.
HAMSTER - Wait a second officer. This guy is a real good boyfriend. Trust me.
OFFICER - And that makes him good? I don’t think so.
HAMSTER - Yes it does! He’s super good. I’ve seen him being lovey dovey and all.
OFFICER - Oh really, is that true sir?
ERIC - Yes it is!
OFFICER - Hurts a-lot to hear this. I’ve got no girlfriend and I’m not good but you're good?
ERIC - I’m a good boyfriend officer! I bought her this hamster.
OFFICER - Now you’re just making things up.
ERIC - I swear. I took her on a date and everything!
OFFICER - Oh I bet you did. I’m placing you under arrest sir, get in the car.
HAMSTER - He’s just a tourist!
OFFICER - Get out of here hamster … I don’t want to see your furry face again. You’re on notice.
After some security checkpoints, they took him to the sitting regent in the heart of the SOTA. Like toy soldiers, a column of cultic officers marched through the halls, and tossed open a mahogany door. They dragged him by his arms and savagely threw the prisoner at her feet. “Is this for me?” Etheria asked. “Yes mam”, one said. They nodded politely and made for the door. Eric got to his feet and composed himself again, hopefully for the last time. The regent was sideways with her knees draped over one of the legs of the throne. Eric was just a touch disappointed. She looked like your typical yuppie businesswoman, tall and attractive with medium length black hair. The kind of person who could be seen carrying a briefcase down a financial district. In fact she did keep some soul points in her briefcase for safekeeping. “Are you the big shot of this place?” he tentatively inquired. Etheria looked at him with piercing eyes. It was apparently an honor to be at her mercy. “Yes, I oversee this whole domain. My name is Etheria, what’s yours?” She revealed, alighting from the most comfortable position onto the veritable ground. “Eric” he reciprocated. Being in the presence of someone less regal, the man felt a little less distraught. He adjusted his posture. Etheria approached him and sensed the difference in his aura immediately. “You are from upstairs,” she remarked. Eric smiled, knowing the jig is up, “I am. I was sent down here”. Etheria circled around him like a shark who was already full but could stuff in one last morsel, “Did they? Who exactly sent you down here?”. As the long day was mostly at a close, he was more sociable than usual. Eric rubbed his chin and realized he would have to give her some insight into his purpose. “Her name is Priya Echo '' he intoned. “For what reason? Are you a hero?” Etheria guessed eagerly. Eric shifted a little in his posture. This was going to be a little difficult to explain, “Well actually … a war started and she wanted me to be safe … I’m her boyfriend”. The regent could not believe her ears. Euphoria flooded her body. The tips of her fingers tingled. A wry sliver of a smirk uplifted her face. “Oh, is that so?” she beamed, looking him up and down. Inspecting even the fabric of his pant pockets. “But I don’t know if we’re right for each other” he mumbled, looking with dismay at his feet. “That’s boyfriend talk. They all say that!” one of the female bodyguards shouted. Etheria put a finger to her forehead and thought to herself. Through the eons Sam-Henry-Claudius-Dazin was a regular member of the family. Even from the very start. The years began to flow like some insubstantial element back to their source. Ahh … those were the days. So many reincarnations and so little time. And now it was confirmed. All counterparts of this earthborn fellow. The regent put a hand on his shoulder just to steady him, “Well then Eric … this may come as a bit of shock but … you have a dream counterpart here in the echo realm … so you should go and discover what that is all about. I’m going to send you to the planet Cyalola. The ruler there, whose name is TAP, will be able to help you”. “Thanks, but I’m sort of a one planet man, '' Eric avowed. A serious look on his face transformed as he realized what had happened. It turned out celestial monogamy was his thing. Etheria threw back her head, “Very funny. I’m starting to like you”. The business settled, the newcomer paced all the way to the door. As he put a hand on the side of the door, he decided to give the regent some advice as it was his nature to be helpful, “Oh, and …. your domain is full of weird stuff. try to do something about that please”. Ferried by the cultic officers, he was sent expeditiously to the resident spaceport. A modern, silvery number that flattered the surrounding architecture. Eric nudged his head through the window to perceive the cumbersome ship. It must have been able to house a small city. The driver gave him a water bottle for the way and he climbed the ramp with the other families and buttoned down military officers. He got snug in his seat before the lumbering giant left the solid ground behind, and sailed unimpeded to the outer belt. There, the pilot pressed his finger to a view screen and the mausoleum ship activated its mirror light drive. The stars became a wall of pearly white, like the supple curled up inside of a conch. A waitress tried to convince him to try a fuzzy new soda but he declined. She got bonuses on the number of drinks. When he departed they crossed by a hallway with a viewing hall. The glass had a handprint from a kid who must have been on the last ride. And above those fingers he saw it. The vibrant green tapestry of Cyalola, wrapped up in a ball for safekeeping. It was as if a barren world was seeded with a field of clovers. Eric was so impressed by the islands that he did not register the ocean. He took a step back and saw it. The type of thing you would throw a bottle in if you wanted to be rescued. An officer who had been assigned to his duty grabbed him by the collar. A private shuttle was waiting for him. Sleek and sporty like someone had maxed out their credit card. It positioned itself outside the glass, atop the dark bottomless canvas, so you knew you were getting a good fall. Inside, two specialists of Etheria told him that they would personally introduce him to TAP, the ruler of the world below, "We will do the talking. Be cool. After that, I will let you meet her". The pilot was likewise handpicked and she turned around to get the go-ahead from the rest of the crew. Royal purple flames exploded in the nothingness of space, and propelled the convertible down to the surface. As dignitaries, they made their rounds before coming to the final, awesomely adorned chamber. Like they said, the ambassadors did the talking first, while he stood patient, then abandoned him to the safety of the outside room. After seeing what he saw, Eric was expecting a real luminary. But instead … the woman had her hands over her face and was shivering audibly. "Are you crying … please stop" he begged. With that, she revealed her face but continued the waterworks, "I'm told your name is Eric. A pleasure to meet you". "Good to be here. I didn't have a choice but you have a beautiful planet" he offered, trying to reassure her with niceness. She nodded in approval, yet without an ounce of sadness. Then something remarkable happened. Those parcels of salt as that fell from her damp cheek took flight. They circled in wide spirals around the room, flickering with nascent light. They broadened and formed into watery figures of birds with long tails. Each of them landed square on the ground, erupting with unimaginable color. And they were peacocks. "Thank you. That is kind. I am Tears Are Peacocks, or TAP for short" the empress acknowledged. Eric blinked a few times instead of falling flat on his face, which would have been a sensible option, "I can definitely see that ''. The woman was never sad, she was simply using her power. TAP noticed his reaction with amusement and quickly changed the subject, "Alright then, from what they said you are here meet your counterpart. Dazin, the star-map". She gave him a wet hand shake that he wiped off on the side of his pants when she wasn't looking. "Yes, that is what Etheria said,'' he remembered. The empress smiled with delight, "Very well. He is on the maiden island of Jabecera. A boat can take you there". "Things were going smoothly this time, he supposed '', It's that easy? Alright, I will go. Eric felt gratitude for the way this was being handled. At his knee, a peacock was rubbing its head and purring in amorous fixation. His host was remarkably calm, "I will have someone escort you to the shore. I expect you will enjoy the island. good tidings'' TAP elected. It was all coming together. That matter from the Battle of Cyalola would soon be resolved. She smiled even grander than before.``Thank you. I hope you get relief for whatever you are crying about. bye!" Eric answered. They saluted each other again and then he was sent out, past those big mahogany doors, towards a maiden island and the promise of the future. He just hoped that he could capture it.

Chapter end