The Seven Orbs

Chapter Two

The Dragon Wakes

2

The King's legs were tired as he ascended the length of the East Tunnel leading to the Lair. He traveled the path alone, lest the Guards panicked at the sight of the great beast. He loosened the skull key on his broad leather belt and inserted its six-prong silver head into the latch. It turned with some difficulty, even as he had the smithy secretly keep the key way functional at a given notice. But it was old, the smithy complained, and I don't care for working here alone. Can't even bring my apprentice. Still, the lock mechanism moved, if somewhat roughly; it moved enough to unlock the huge door. In younger days, he could open the door with one hand, but now, even with two strong and wrinkled hands, it required both to pull the door open, squeaky and slow. Had it been so long?!

He entered the Lair. So much gold in all manner of shape and weight, from coins to trays to statues. More a hill than a mountain. The townsfolk often said dragons slept on mountains of gold. The King laughed to himself. The noise caused the dragon to stir.

" Time to wake, my old friend," the King said sadly.

"A dragon never sleeps. It only dreams," the beast with wings declared in a stately voice that filled the huge Lair.

"And what do dragons dream of?" asked the King.

" Death. The real sleep. No more dream. Is dream time over," said the Dragon.

"Yes.," the King confirmed. "War is at hand."

"So soon?" asked the Dragon, shaking his great head in disgust.

"For you, I guess 'soon' is the blink of an eye, but for man, it is one forever after another, an hourglass as tall as all the tomorrows filled with the grains of forever." The King smiled at his exaggeration.

The Dragon simply guffawed. "And they say dragons speak in riddles. Speak plainly. I clearly thought this day would never come. I believed that peace had arrived. But I guess that was my dream."

"The governors chose the way of threats over the path to peace. We must quell this uprising once and for all." The King slammed his fist into his palm, a silent gesture of defiance. A futile gesture, thought the Dragon with disdain.

The King sensed his gesture annoyed the Beast, and chose a new topic, one of curiosity. "Why is it that I can hear your thoughts and you mine? We don't even talk in the traditional way of men."

"Your bloodline is ancient, most ancient, from an ancestry long forgotten, except by Land Serpents, as we were called, for there, too, existed Sea Serpents and Cloud Serpents. I, for one, am both Land Serpent, with four legs, and Cloud Serpent, with two wings. Your clan, called Terrian, for the soil, the earth, the land, ruled the land from the sea to the mountains, but somehow, you lost your way and traveled the length of the long river to see if it connected to a greater sea or if, indeed, there was more land than sea, as you philosophers taught. Yet your curiosity for answers ended here where the land met the forest. You no longer sought the true distance of the river, instead choosing to conquer the inhabitants of the Forest and claim their land. And then you met the River folk by the mouth of the mountains, where I was born, and chose to conquer them as well. But because I was neither Cloud nor Land of and in itself, I was considered an aberration and exiled to the mountains.

"I saw your arrival. As a true Land creature, as I am partly, we understand the tongue of the mind. It was my curse to see all the dragon-folk die off with the arrival of men-folk. I endured alone in the mountains, till you heard my thoughts and sought me out. We were united by blood-kin: The Land. We talked. We learned. We warred. Together we brought the River folk and the Forest folk to bear, to surrender to a temporary peace arrangement. The time is up, is it not? And you broke your promise, your tongue of the mouth, so easily corruptible, your language. And that is where we differ. I cannot lie. I made a promise to you, Land King, to fight for you, to KEEP the peace. I KEEP my word to a King who cannot keep his." The Dragon stretched the sleep from its wings and swatted away the piles of gold that served no purpose but the vain greed in his blood. He could not eat it or love it. It was worthless save to men-folk, and so that was his only purpose, to keep as much gold away from the hands of men-folk. What a foolish life, the life of an aberration. "You are old, as am I. How are we to fight again with Death waiting at our door?"

The King stepped up to the Dragon and looked up into its gigantic face with those sad black eyes, and said, "You won't be alone."

The Seven Orbs

Chapter Two

The Wizard's Apprentice

3

Coming soon...

The Seven Orbs

Chapter Two

The Secret Passage

1

One day, Wisdom decided to walk around the King's castle just to see how big it was. It indeed was big, three times bigger than the village steads and stores combined. Toward the rear of the castle was a small outlet where water drained from somewhere inside the tall stone walls. The outlet was just wide enough for a young boy to fit through, of which, luckily, Wisdom qualified. However, he had to stoop and wade in a liquid that was neither water nor waste. It didn't smell, and its texture was more vapor than slime. He followed the entrance, bowed over, till he reached a separation of directions, a T point, as his mother called such roads. Here the stoop ended, and Wisdom could stand to his full height, if a boy of nine could be considered "full". To the left was the path of the stream; to the right was a walkway with steps leading upward to what looked like a doorway without a door. He chose the doorway. 

Red drapes covered the threshold. There was no part in the cloth for him to enter. He had to crawl underneath. Hundreds of candles lit the room. A diffuse light from a full moon on a cloudy evening shone through the stained glass window just above the King's Throne. The King's Throne! Suddenly, the small boy felt even smaller, a speck of flesh in the mouth of the Dragon, a single soldier on the field of battle. The awe wore off more and more with each visit, always sneaking in just at the time when he knew the Throne-room would be empty of royalty or advisors. But still each visit had a touch of that original awe. 

Tonight, for instance, that touch was present, and he needed to feel it, more so now that he felt unworthy after humiliating himself before his older brother and that awful Agyle. If his mind weren't so occupied with his own troubles, he'd have heard the King enter. 

"What do we have here?" asked the King. "How did you find your way in?"

Startled, Wisdom turned toward the voice and grasped the hilt of his wooden sword, such as it was, neither threatening nor comforting. 

It was the King, he realized and froze like a statue, no, more like a fool. 

"Am I under threat?" the King mocked with jest in his heart. 

"No, no, my King," Wisdom spoke quickly, trying to find the words to explain himself. "I was only surprised, my King."

"Two 'my Kings', when there is only one of me," the King laughed. "Have you come to join the King's Guard?"

"Truly?! Yes, I would," answered Wisdom, not quite understanding the jest. He then withdrew his homemade sword from his cloth sheathe. 

"Restore your weapon lest your pant legs slip to the ground," the King said as he sat back onto his throne of stone and iron. "Come, sit in my Counselor's seat, for he is away."

Wisdom did as instructed.

"Now, to the point" How did you find your way in?" the King asked without humor.

"There's a passageway behind the red drapes," Wisdom answered honestly. "I found it attached to the drain exit behind the castle, your castle, my King."

"You know we are at war now, don't you, lad?" the King's voice grew stern. "Spies abound with clever schemes to enter the secret meetings of the Council."

"Yes, my King," Wisdom responded. "I understand. I'll report any if I see them first."

The King laughed out loud, then a frightening thought crossed his mind. "From the passage, did you come straight here? Or did you try the west end at the T point?"

"Straight here, my King, I swear," he said as he crossed his heart. 

"Good. Now to this 'my King' stutter of yours," he said as he sat up straight. "In times of war, you must address me as 'my General.' It is tradition."

"I understand, my General," said Wisdom with a bow.

"No, no," the KIng scolded him gently, "a Guardsman salutes with his free fist across his chest, since his other hand will be occupied with his weapon, no doubt. 

Wisdom crossed his small fist across his chest and reached for his sword. 

"No, lad," the King ordered the boy. "A Guardsman never unsheathes his sword unless he is ready to kill... and ready to die. So you keep your sword sheathed till you are summoned. Tell me your family name."

"I am Wisdom of the Jenri Clan." Wisdom stood at attention.

The King lay his fist on his heart. 

"My General?" asked Wisdom shyly.

"What is it, lad?" he responded with curiosity. 

"What lies in the east passage?" he said with the smallest of voices, as if he didn't wish to be overheard.

"Victory, my lad," came the answer from a proud King. "Now it is best you go home to Mama Jenri. She must be looking for you. Tell no one of your visit here today. And straightway you'll go. No side trips to any curious passageways on this day, my lad. Grow wings like a dragon and fly."

The King stood as if to emphasize his words, and Wisdom obeyed. He ran as quickly as he could with images of flying serpents in his eyes. 

The Seven Orbs

Chapter Two

The Dragon Wakes

2

Coming soon...

 

Memory Corner #6

The Stranger in My Room

I taught at several colleges in the City of Los Angeles, always on the move, sometimes driving on the 10 Freeway, or catching the Metro Train to destination and home again. But that was the problem, you see. I had no home. I gave it up to teach. Jobs were scarce, but I was in demand thanks to good word of mouth. And the job offers were plentiful. Trouble was, I couldn't say no to any offer because once you say no, they never ask again. You are viewed as unreliable. So, I said yes every time to gain my good reputation. 

Thus my troubles mounted. Often I had to get to one college to teach within a few hours, ready to teach, after only just finishing up one class on this side of town. From West Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College to the University of Southern California, day in, day out, seven days a week. But you must make a lot of money, I was told by close friends. Sure, but when did I have time to spend it? I didn't. So I spent it on good hotel rooms, dead center of my places of employment. 

My favorite stays were the ritzy hotels in Downtown Los Angeles. On the outside they looked rusty and antique, but inside, they were graced with white marble floors, brass hand railings, and private elevators for the top four floors. In the lobby, there were old photos of Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, and other Golden Age celebrities who once occupied these grand suites. 

Of course, the suites, back then when I was staying, looked all the same. Even the hallways looked the same. You had to be careful about which floor you got off because floors 9, 10, 11, and 12, were identical. Same carpet, same lighting, same drab paint. And the room numbers were all the same no matter which floor you got off. For instance, floor 9, room 20, was not room 920, as one would expect in good hotels. Nope, whether it was floor 10 or 12, room 20 was room 20, not room 1020 and room 1220. Only until you inserted your key into the lock would I realize I was on the wrong floor. 

Thus it was that the first time I learned of this room number discrepancy, I was not prepared. 

I got off on the 9th floor after teaching at USC that evening, so it was around 11:30 pm or so. I usually kept all my valuables in the room in the drawers and on a small table I had a top of the line stereo cassette player with Bose headphones. I'd settle in with a few Guinness brewskis, some music, a movie, and hit the hay. But before I could insert the key into the lock, I heard someone rummaging about 

It had to be a burglar. My precious things were at risk. Should I call the front desk? No, I refused to leave the doorway. They would have to exit by the only door out. Should I open the door quietly and surprise them? What if there were more than one? I did the only thing I could think of: I pounded on the door and shouted, "I know you're in there." And pound I did. Louder each time. Till I got a response. A woman screamed, "Oh, my God" over and over. I pounded some more and cried, "I can hear you."

When I realized it was a lone woman in the room, I decided to unlock the door. The key didn't fit. "He's trying to get in. Somebody help me." Yes, I was on the wrong floor. I avoided the elevator as I didn't want to run into anyone responding to her cries for help, so I took the stairs down one flight, you know, those stairs with the white marble floor and brass railings. 

Once I was oriented, I had to walk up two flights to reach my floor. I quickly entered my room and double-checked to make sure all my stuff was accounted for. It was. I opened the window and listened to the commotion upstairs. "He tried to kill me." "Can you describe him?" "Oh, he was big and mean. He wanted to kill me." "Well, ma'am, he's gone now. He didn't come down the elevator. The front desk clerk would have saw him. Now you say he was big, like six foot tall or bigger, you think?" "Oh, much bigger. Big hands, pounding on my door, trying to knock it down. I'm lucky to be alive. He tried to jimmy the lock, but he must of heard you coming cuz he run off right quick." "Yes, ma'am. We'll make a report and keep an eye out for him."

And the commotion was over. Last thing I heard as the door closed was the woman saying, "They ain't gonna do shit."

You know, for a long second there, I wanted to get my hands on that thief in my room. It gladdened my heart to hear her scream in terror when she realized that I had her trapped. But the gladness turned to utter fear when I realized I was the bad guy. On the run till I reached my room. That night, after my brewskis, I took a yellow hi-liter and colored the bottoms of my room number.

 

Memory Corner 5

The Puppeteer

The puppeteer came to the projects a few times a year. No one knew if he had a schedule. One day, one kid would tell another that the puppet man was setting up his theater by the Chavez house or by Kike's house or who knows where. It was never the same location. But the word of mouth was always the same, and all it took was one kid to spread the word and soon dozens of kids would grab a seat in front of the puppet theater. Early birds got right up front. Late comers had to sit in the back, behind the big kids usually. 

On that day, the last day it turned out to be, my friends and I got front row seats sitting there on the lawn of the Jimenez house. We watched the frail old man gingerly set up his puppet theater on the TV tray he used as a foundation. After the set up, he gently lifted the puppets from his leather bag and place them on the stage. There were several puppets dressed like from the time of Jesus, and lastly, there was the Jesus puppet with a wire halo above his head. 

Once everything was set, the puppeteer acknowledged the crowd of kids with a bow, and they applauded as he disappeared behind the theater. The red curtains parted with a squeak, and the old man spoke through one of two puppets on stage. "Jesus is coming," he said. The other puppet answered, "Lord be praised." The puppeteer changed voices with each character on the stage. Two more puppets joined the first two. "Rejoice, rejoice," they cried in joy, "the Lord Jesus cometh. Yonder. Look." 

The Jesus puppet rose into the air from behind the stage and floated there with a huge sun behind him. The sun was cardboard, from the look of it, with yellow glitter glued to it, causing a sparkling from the real sun hitting it. At that moment, I realized that's why he chose this spot: It captured the sunlight to add sparkles to his cardboard sun to silhouette the wooden Jesus doll. 

The crowd cheered and clapped. One of the puppets on stage said, "Hail, Jesus, come to save us sinners." A second puppet said, "By the brilliance of the sun does the Son of God arriveth." A third puppet added, "Children, be ready, for Jesus is coming to save the and take you to Heaven. He will arrive in the chariot of the sun."

And with that, the puppeteer packed up his theater and placed the puppets back in the leather bag. He bowed to the children and pointed to the sky with a smile. Then he rolled the wheeled cart carrying his set up and bag. 

It was about noon, and the older kids went off to play, but the younger kids looked up at the sun, at first shielding their eyes with their fingers until their eyes adjusted to the glare as best as they could stand the intensity. "There's Jesus," said one, and more kids tried to withstand the fierce stabbing of the sunlight. "I see him," cried another. Then some started crying, while others rubbed violently at their eyes as if trying to erase some ink blot stained on their vision. 

Soon parents started approaching the kids and asking what was wrong. Too late. The damage was done. Permanent blotches in their vision. Some small, others not so small. The eye doctors told them that their young eyes would adjust to the spot in their eyes, almost until it looked like it wasn't there anymore. Much like older adults with floaters adjust their vision till their eyes see right through the spots in their vision. The spots don't go away. Your brain simply adjusts to it. 

This information didn't comfort the parents. They gathered all the parents in the projects and banned the puppeteer from ever returning. Some parents even made police reports. Rumors had it that the puppeteer would be arrested if he tried to return. 

We never saw or heard from the puppeteer again. There are lots of projects in the Los Angeles County. And there are lots of kids in those projects. I'd like to think he's still out there, teaching of Jesus standing in the sun, if you just look for him. 

 

The Seven Orbs

Chapter One

Wisdom, Winsome, and Agyle.

8

  

The Jenri Clan consisted of Mother Magrit Jenri, Head Council to the village and mother to Winsome and Wisdom. There was no Father Jenri. The story she told her sons was that their father fought in the War of the Three Kingdoms and lost his life to the dragon. He stood in the presence of the great beast, closed his eyes as the fire raged from its open mouth, and thought only of his family as he turned to ashes. When they were younger, Wisdom and Winsome loved that tale of bravery and honor, but soon they were nigh their teens and the story began to lose its truth. How could Mother Jenri know what was in Father's mind in his final moments? Still, Wisdom imagined that the dragon would not single out one single soldier. It would sweep its fiery breath across the largest pockets of warriors. Why waste your time on one single soldier?


Winsome was talking with his friend, Agyle, about the coming war. Word was spreading across all the villages of the three Kingdoms that the temporary King refused to grant freedom to the governors. The time of agreement was upon them, yet the King would not part with his throne, though it were made of paper, the villagers said. A true ruler would keep his word. There was peace. The treaty was temporary. The governors were patient. They waited till the time was at hand, not a moment sooner than agreed upon. And yet word on the air told of a King that betrayed the treaty. Was was necessitated, it was said. But was the King prepared for battle? This was a new age. Could the old defeat the new?


Wisdom sat quietly but fidgeted as he waited for a pause so that he could speak his mind. "The Bosque Governor and the Aquell Governor have been preparing for this War for years, since we were infants in the last War," Winsome boasted to a smiling Agyle."


Agyle agreed, "They hired blacksmiths from the village, stonecutters, and carpenters from their own villages to build their mechanical weapons. Deep the the forest, they cut trees for wood, collect rocks from the hillside and from the river for the ore they carry. One blacksmith told my Mother that it was his job to forge the spear-heads, big as a bear. The carpenters built the housing of the giant spears, big enough to kill a dragon. And the stonecutters built the wheels to carry the massive machines that will fling the spears. Catapults are nothing compared to these weapons, the blacksmith said."


"Where do they keep them?" Winsome asked.


"Beneath the Bosque Castle," he replied. "It is also rumored that there are new types of crossbows that can fire multiple arrows, smaller, sharper, quicker. Reloadable. It takes two men to wield one. Our little kingdom is going to fall."


Wisdom stood with anger on his cherub face, cheeks fiery red, lips white from biting them. "You speak like traitors. Our Father died on the field of battle for our King. We must do as our King demands. We must support him."


Agyle pushed the feather-light Wisdom, and the young boy fell to the ground. "Winsome," he said, "you must instruct your brother to learn his place. His elders are speaking. He must learn to listen or he may never learn his place."


"I tell him, but he idolizes the King," Winsome said with a sigh.


Wisdom placed his hand on the small wooden sword that he carried in his belt line. It was no more than a sharp flat slat that had fallen from the sheep yard fence. He got to his feet so Agyle could see the weapon's hilt, a cut of leather wrapped around the end of slat.


"What are you?" asked Agyle. "A King's Guardsman? See how my hands tremble. Why, look, Winsome, your brother is a Guardsman, and he can't even withdraw his weapon." He stepped toward Wisdom, who backed away two steps. He lost his grip on his sword as the leather hilt loosened. He glanced around nervously and restrapped the hilt.


Winsome and Agyle laughed at the boy's foolishness, then walked away from him. Now his face was flush with shame. He couldn't even draw his sword. What good was he with War at hand.

Chapter Two

The Secret Passage

1

COMING SOON

 

The Plastic Grotesque: Uncanny Beauty

Introduction

If we wanted, we could track cosmetic beauty enhancements back to the early days of civilization, but that could trigger academic minutiae. Instead, we'll cover general observations on homeopathic and medical approaches that have led the way for cosmetic surgeries and self-corrective fads to emerge on the social scene. 

World War I and II: 

Soldiers coming home from the war with disfigurements often turned to cosmetic surgeries to reconstruct their wounded faces. 

1950s

With Hollywood glamorizing sex symbols, such as Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, breast implants were sought after by those who could afford the expensive and risky procedure. Risky because the sponges used for augmentation hardened and caused pain and infection. Blacks in the movie and music industry had "conks", a chemical formula containing lye, which when applied directly to the scalp to straighten out curly hair, risked severe burns and permanent hair loss and scarring. 

The Conk Procedure

1960s through 1970s

Rhinoplasty and Facelifts followed as Plastic Surgery competed with Cosmetic Surgery. Plastic surgery reconstructed the face for aesthetic purposes, while Cosmetic surgery tried to rebuild what was lost in accidents or war wounds. PS restructures the nose, for instance, to reduce its size to something more appealing for the patient. CS rebuilds the nose to as close to its original form before the damage was done to it. The cosmetic industry sold over-the-counter creams and ointments designed to "tighten" skin and give the appearance of wrinkle-free features. Supplemental vitamins joined the market with promises that their "drugs" could reduce years off one's appearance. Risks were reduced for side effects but the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rarely approved such creams and vitamins. 

In the years that followed, we saws the introduction of Botox, weight loss drugs, and miracle messages performed by homeopathic healers. The door was opened for even more promises of beauty by means other than genetics. 

Today

LooksMaxing is a combination of self-inflicted damage to the face and body to achieve a perceived beauty and attractiveness. Based on social media reports, both pro and con, the achieved effect of these techniques is wholly open to interpretation whether or not it can be described as "beauty". It's basically homeopathy gone rogue. No promises of healthiness--only attractiveness to the opposite sex. Although I could list the many procedures of the self-harm one must perform on one's self, I'll name only one. Breaking your cheekbones with a hammer so that they can heal into a new structure for a look of perfection, like super-model high cheekbones. I don't need to explain the danger of hitting yourself in the face with a hammer. But one can simply ignore this risk when the result is a beautiful face. And therein lies the illusion of perfect beauty. 

Bone Smashing

Tomorrow

What is scary about the risks that come with all these procedures to attain an illusion of beauty is that AI is now becoming available for the next generation of beauty seekers. I'll let the science fiction crowd address that scenario. It's scary enough that we know something is coming. But what? 

 

Memory Corner 4

"Hercules"

Growing up in the projects on the Eastside, we had our heroes and our villains. Bad guys were easy. The cops, because they hated the projects. And even though we were right next to a community college and down the street from a state university, that didn't matter. The projects were trouble. There was this older man, dressed clean and sharp, like a waiter or a banker, had a head full of bushy curly hair and a thick dark beard that was always trimmed neatly. We called the man Hercules because he looked like a movie version of the Greek myth. 

He was always hanging around the park. Now the park was made up of a gymnasium, where kids played basketball and adults had talent shows. It was also the place where the doctors and nurses set up tables and lines formed for our vaccinations. Behind the gym was a handball court. To the right of the court was the baseball field, and left of the gym was the soccer field, where Sunday the park filled with soccer fans and taco trucks, snow cone vendors, and tamale carts. Behind the baseball field was the playground, with the merry-go-round, the swings, the slides, the sandboxes, and the main office of the park attendants. And at the opposite end of the park, opposite the gym, was the community swimming pool, which we called "The Plunge". The pool was fenced in and surrounded by bushes and trees to keep the lookie-loos away. Hercules took turns hanging around each of the parts of the park, but especially liked the pool.

We kids loved trailing Hercules around the park. We always got him to pick up heavy things, like rocks and trash cans. He seemed to like entertaining us, or at least, getting attention from admirers. He lived in the projects with his brother and father, who both had jobs. Hercules said he didn't need to work. He got a government check for serving in the military. That must be where he got his muscles. He always stayed home when his family was working, and when they got home from work, he took to the park. We knew his routine, waiting for him to leave his house, then followed him into the park. He always hit the gym first, shot some hoops, and then moved on to the baseball field bleachers, but only if there was a game on; if not, he headed for the playground. Even though he was too big, he loved the swings. It took three kids to push him till he was swinging high into the air. He swung back and forth until the lifeguards walked by heading for The Plunge. Then he jumped from the swing and said Hi to the lifeguards, especially to Tina, who the two male lifeguards called Tiny because of her small size. 

"Aren't you too old for swings?" asked one of the boy lifeguards sarcastically.

Hercules just gave him a dirty look and watched him until they entered the pool building, where a long line of kids were waiting in their swim clothes and carrying towels. They always cheered when the lifeguards arrived. When Tina turned and waved to the cheering kids, Hercules dropped his angry look and smiled. That's when he headed for the bush and tree area surrounding the pool. And that's when we kids parted ways with him. It was weird to us to be hiding in the bushes just to watch the swimmers in the pool. 

And that was the routine of our hero Hercules. 

A week or so after our last hangout with Hercules, he was arrested. The story goes that he was naked in the bushes behind the pool and he dragged Tina into the hideout he had created inside the bushes. She fought him off and screamed for help. The other lifeguards arrived in time to save Tina from harm. They beat Hercules almost to death. Cops didn't care. They were glad to arrest a project dweller, as they called us who lived there. Hercules went to prison. We heard that the other prisoners beat him up all the time when they found out he tried to harm a young girl. Even his father and brother moved out of the projects because gang members kept breaking their windows. 

When we were old enough to leave the projects to go to college, Hercules was still in jail, we thought. Some say he was dead. Some say he got out but moved to another state looking for his brother and father. Others say he haunts the park. The new kids from the projects even made a song about staying away from the bushes or Hercules will get you. I guess that's how urban legends are born: Part truth, part Boogeyman. But I know it's all about heroes and villains and not knowing how or when to distinguish the difference.