An evening in October. 1888. The British Museum, London.
Madeline Davis looked around the great exhibition hall in amazement. Lord Franks had insisted that the entire Expedition come to the Grand Opening of the Franks-Cardiff display. He had outdone himself. The stone friezes that the Expedition had brought back were arranged around the walls in much the same order they had been in the great tower-temple of Timbuktu. One point of interest was the stone obelisk with the stele diagram in its full glory, a reproduction supplied by Lord Cardiff. Another was the ceiling, painted trompe l'oeil to give the illusion in extreme perspective of the interior of that pyramid towering high overhead. There was also a very romanticized sketch of the two black kings battling for the throne, she noted wryly.
Almost as impressive to her eyes were her companions, dressed for the formal occasion even though Penrington still had his inevitable slouched hat. Po, however, made a most improbable "Little Lord Fauntleroy"; the current styles in boy fashions did nothing for the young Chinese, in the doctor's opinion. Madeline was quite proud of Voronika; dressed as a debutante, the teen-aged Romani was quite the exotic beauty. The doctor thought back to the members now missing and the final days of their Expedition.
Mid-July. 1888. The Ruins of Timbuktu, Africa.
The pillar of light had lasted for about an hour, long enough for those unconscious to be revived to witness the phenomenon. No doubt new legends would arise amongst the natives to explain the purpose of the Pillar of Light in the Desert on that unique night.
There had been a most impressive ceremony crowning their old friend Umbopa, King Ignosi. As king, Ignosi arranged an even more impressive funeral — almost that of a god — for Courtney Sr. The Europeans had thus been able to witness the native style of mourning, with its wailings and shouts. Miss Courtney had stood up under it all very well.
Sorrow was subsumed in the following month of work. With the aid of Mr. Steele's grapple, the Expedition had descended into the ruined tower and found the room from which the doctor had been rescued. It looked nothing like the description she had given of her encounter with Desiré and the crystal tortoise. Madeline had touched the rough dark carving of the statue. So different. The Party had questioned her rather intensively and she'd had to admit that she had had no real basis for equating the crystal tortoise of her vision with the stele spirit Tuan, and that what had seemed so real might have been a poison-induced hallucination. But somehow she didn't think so.
The Expedition had been thrilled to find in that room the stone friezes, great wall plaques illustrating the star patterns and planets recording the experiment that located Aries and started the modern calendar. From those, Miss Courtney had estimated that the room illustrated an incident some 8000 years ago. Some of the plaques showed populated scenes. The great king Mansa Musa was identifiable and a short bald figure with elongated earlobes -- much like Po while using his powers -- was called out as the great storyteller Far-li-mas. Mr. Blake immediately made arrangements to make a full set of rubbings in case of future catastrophe. King Ignosi provided labourers and, over the course of a month, the Expedition removed and crated the great plaques. Behind the plaque of the King and Storyteller was a small hollow, sealed up since the room was first made. Two things were found: a small piece of dried flower that was identified as taduki, Flower of Memory, and one-twelfth of a spoked wheel constructed of some unknown fragrant wood and engraved with a Chinese symbol for the Month of the Ram. When Miss Costorari touched the spoke, she saw, in her mind's eye, a flat horizon extending away as far as she could see. The doctor took the former object in charge; Miss Costorari kept the latter.
It was observed over the period of that month that the desert sands were being blown away and that the Tower of Timbuktu was gradually being revealed and made more accessible. Likely the rest of the abandoned city was still under sand. For some unexplained reason during that period, Lok was particularly attentive to his duties as Mr. Blake's manservant, to the latter's gratification. [Too bad no one realized he felt guilty about abandoning Mr. Blake in the middle of the fight to go rescue his son.]
Meanwhile Mr. Smith had done a thorough, um, examination of the Iron Robot and the steam gun, referring many times to the notebooks that had been found in fitz-Cardiff's tent. It seemed clear that fitz-Cardiff had intercepted communications between Lord Cardiff and Nasmyth about the design of robots, and that the arm cannon had been stolen from a design crafted by a Swiss steam mage. Fitz-Cardiff apparently had not been an innovative steam mage on his own. Amongst the findings in the tents, it was clear that the Iron Robot was not particularly fuel-efficient and that fitz-Cardiff had not seen fit to bring much fuel for it. Nevertheless, what was left greatly helped stretch the meager supplies that had been brought for Mr. Steele, and was the only reason an entire month could be spent excavating. Thus the robot had to be abandoned although Mr. Steele and Mr. Smith conserved the notebooks with great care. Opportunity was found to ask Mr. Steele more about his obvious discomfort around Mr. Smith while the gun was being disassembled, and the Expedition learned that the last of the steel man's memories had returned. "That thing killed me!" [See Steele's story.]
In a thorough search of the tents, as Courtney Senior's spirit had indicated to Miss Costorari, a glass tube less than a foot long was found in a box. It contained the glowing shape of a woman. Po, linked with Dr. Davis, ascertained that it was indeed the spirit of Polly Oliver albeit in a mostly unaware and comatose state. The consensus was that, given her circumstances, that was likely all for the best. Also found was the original log of the Aries Stele dig by Blake Senior. The drawings therein were found to be exquisite and superior to simple rubbings. Jonathan Blake took this irrefutable evidence of his father's innocence and craftsmanship into welcome custody.
There had been some consternation when Penrington reported that there had been a teleporter amongst the Bad Guys. However, Nbutoma's report of the hunter's actions during the battle and Po's memory of the old crone's mental spell established a working theory of mental illusions used upon Penrington. The Unknown Rifleman, however, was not identified by anything found in the tents. Penrington and Miss Costorari did, however, carefully sort through the goods confiscated from the Bad Guy's supplies, planning to sell what was appropriate back in Victoria.
In due time, crates were loaded upon camels and farewells were made to King Ignosi and his people as well as to Nbutoma and the desert folk. Most of the warriors in the Party chose to leave their armor as a gift for the king, in thanks for the aid given in securing the plaques. As the group retraced its path through the jungle, we found that the White Druid's enclave had been abandoned with no indication of where the doctor's mother had gone. With mixed feelings of resignation and grim foreboding, Madeline kept her thoughts to herself.
One tale of travel being much the same as another in its litany of hardship and discovery, Madeline's thoughts skipped on to the return to Victoria. There she had sent a telegraph message to Lord Franks, detailing their discoveries and, as a postscript, mentioning the possibility of a cure for Polly Oliver (address included). Penrington and Miss Costorari had attended to the disposal of goods and reinvestment of Party funds. Then all had paid a call on Lord Cardiff who seemed genuinely pleased at the success of the mission. In return for the regrettable loss of the pieces of stele, he requested that Blake's book be used to create a reconstruction of the obelisk (which he would finance) for the Cardiff-Franks (or Franks-Cardiff) Exhibition at the British Museum. Dr. Davis was happy to agree to his terms.
The conversation turned to the dangers that might still lurk due to the escape of a couple of members of the opposing Expedition (the Bad Guys). Lord Cardiff was told of the abilities and activities, insofar as the Party knew them, of "Mr. Smith" (the name fitz-Cardiff was not mentioned) and "Desiré Davis Warring." Dr. Davis tried to determine whether his lordship was aware of "Mr. Smith"'s education in necromancy, but all Lord Cardiff knew was that the young man had been very well educated in the Natural Arts at the University in Edinburg. Then his lordship, regretting the loss, er, promotion of his story-teller, mentioned that he would be very interested in hiring a guide for his planned excavation of the city of Timbuktu and would be most gratified to find one who already had the friendship of the local ruler. "No expenses spared." Miss Courtney then spoke of her resolve not to return to Anglia at the present (which the Party recognized was due to her unhappy associations there), and accepted Lord Cardiff's offer. A workman was set to re-lettering her new office door: "I. Courtney, Expedition Guide".
Another round of farewells took place at the airship dock. Madeline reminded Isabel that they were now "sisters" and that she would expect a visit when the latter felt like coming to Anglia. Isabel smiled and told the doctor "to write." Voronika, too, got a hug and instructions to write.
Late September, 1888.
Their airship had been met at the docks by a beaming Lord Franks, who shooed away reporters with the admonishment that all should attend the Franks-Cardiff Exhibit's opening to see the results of the Davis-Blake Expedition. Madeline, who had never before been out of Anglia, realized that London now seemed to be all canyons with only small glimpses of sky -- when it did not rain. Surreptitiously glancing around, she saw that others of her companions suffered the same culture shock.
One of the first decisions the Group had to make before returning to their ordinary lives was what to do with the single dose of taduki. Various people remembered that Dr. Davis had told Lord Cardiff that she was explicitly searching for the plant. It was also recognized that, were a body to be found, it could be used to release Mr. Steele from his mechanical prison-body. As well, it was noted that, with the aid of a local druid, it was the one known cure to return Polly Oliver's spirit to her comatose body. Dr. Davis took the lead, "I resign my interest in this dose in favour of Polly's restoration. Mr. Steele...?" The mechanical man said, thoughtfully, "We do not have a suitable donor for me and, surely, other samples of this plant may eventually be located. Use it for Miss Oliver." Dr. Davis was designated to locate a suitable druid. And so the case was resolved. Polly was restored, weak and confused, but certain to mend in great part due to the boarder, Dr. Fischer, having seen that her body was properly cared for during the six months past. Miss Costorari turned to Dr. Davis and asked, "Why did you want the Flower of Memory." Drawing formality around her in a manner that the gypsy was not used to, the doctor replied, "My reasons were entirely personal."
For their efforts, each member of the Expedition had been awarded £50 by Lord Franks. Penrington and Miss Costorari had realized some £200 in selling the confiscated supplies and, Miss Costorari having invested half of that to make £165, were pleased to distribute an additional £34 to each Expedition member. In addition, the Expedition found its members nominated for membership in the Society of Geography and Foreign Studies as well as the British Museum. The annual fees for the former were £10,s10; for the latter, £7. Inquiries determined that various privileges are accorded increasing levels of membership, based upon one's standing in society. [Current Society Points = 6]
| Museum | Student | Scholar |
|---|---|---|
| Friend of Museum | 1 | 4 |
| Reading Room | 2 | |
| Classical Archive | 2 | |
| Map Room | 3 | |
| Egyptian collection | 3 | |
| Sculpture gallery | 2 | |
| Zoological ref. | 3 | |
| Fossils | 3 | |
| Minerals | 2 | |
| Black collection | 8 |
| Society for G&FS | Base cost | Dist.Looks | Woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership | 1 | +1 | +1 |
| Dining Hall | 2 | ||
| Explorer's Lounge | 2 | +1 | +1 |
| Reference Room | 2 | ||
| Hall of Oddities | 2 | +1 | |
| Upstairs | 8 | +2 | +2 |
Various of the Party Members took advantage of these new ingresses into society:
Miss Costorari proposed that she and Dr. Davis seek rooms together. As the SfG&FS did not offer rooms and as even £84 per is not a vast fortune, the entire group found it expeditious to take rooms at Mr. Blake's former lodging, Mrs. Oliver's Boarding House, where they were made most welcome. Confiding to Voronika that she believed that Mr. Warring must have married her twin sister, Madeline put off her mourning and took the gypsy shopping for the gala Grand Opening.
For the highlight of the evening, Lord Franks ushered the Party and the Museum Curator into formation with himself. Before them an odd nebbish-looking fellow, disheveled and not in formal dress, was setting up a tripod and some odd equipment under a black drape. He said, "Smile for the birdie". There was a sudden flash that blinded several of the party for a few moments. The young man (about 24 years old) took a glass plate from out his apparatus and exposed it to a glow that Mr. Blake recognized. Then the young man handed the plate to his lordship who proudly showed that it was a coloured painting of the group, albeit several (those with Unluck) were shown with their eyes closed. Intrigued by this new use of science, various of the Party tried talking with the young man who someone introduced (erroneously) as Dr. Andrew Forester.
Mr. Forester first found himself faced with an exotic young lady who seemed very impressed with him; he dissolved into stutters. Someone else got him talking about the chemicals and processes he used and he, in some part, regained his powers of speech. Voronika whispered, "Dr. Davis, is he alright?" Madeline answered, "He's nervous, dear; you are very pretty, " not recognizing that her own Anglish beauty was just as impressive to some. Blake was asking "How" and the young man stuttered his way through, "In bright, um, sunlight the, ah, photograph fades, um ah..." Steele affirmed, "It creates a reference that could be used for a more permanent record?" "Exactly," the photographer beamed. Po moved up and started questioning Mr. Forester about the effect a photograph could have on people's souls. Somewhat surprised by the question, Mr. Forester's responses still, amazingly, showed no sign of his stutter as he talked with the Chinese boy.
Voronika noticed that Griswold, major domo of the Society and master of ceremonies for the evening, was speaking in the doorway to a bobbie and a man whose very bearing shouted Scotland Yard. She moved over to Mr. Blake and nodded, "Scotland Yard. Just thought you'd like to know." Griswold came over and touched Mr. Forester on the shoulder. "Sir, some gentlemen would like to speak to you." Hastily, the young man patted his breast pocket then grabbed up his gear at hand.
Dr. Davis and Penrington questioned Griswold as Mr. Forester disappeared into the night between the Officers of the Law. The major domo told them that "Mr. Forester was a witness to some odd events of this evening -- a murder and the ransacking of an embassy flat." Miss Costorari noticed that the young man had forgotten one of his equipment bags. She glanced inside, finding some bags of powder, a book of Anglish grammar, and the remains of a very dried-out sandwich.
Dr. Davis and Miss Costorari decided to use this excuse to leave the social gathering and go to Scotland Yard to return the bag. Mr. Blake decided to escort them and, somehow, the rest of the Party decided to tag along. At the Yard, Miss Costorari asked for Mr. Forester and it took a bit of explaining before the desk clerk realized that the subject was a witness not a prisoner. After a short wait, the young man came out none the worse for wear (and no better either). As it became clear that the group wanted a full story from him, Dr. Davis suggested an adjournment to a coffeehouse where Mr. Forester proved that he could frequently be distracted from his food.
Andrew Forester was a grad student and tutor at the Smithee school, teaching 14-year-old-boys. As he was ending his duties today, an Arab-looking fellow had come in and, speaking unintelligible gibberish, had handed him a package. Because one of his pupils was Abdul Hassan whose father was an undersecretary at the Arabian Embassy, Forester had assumed that the package was for Abdul or his father. Outside the gates of the school, near the construction site of the new Underground Railway, however, the tutor shortly found the body of that same Arab who had tried to speak to him, a knife in his back. Of course he'd called a bobbie. In a hurry because of the commission from Lord Franks to photograph the Grand Opening, Forester had nonetheless dropped by his Arabian pupil's house only to find that no one answered the open door and the house gave every evidence of having been ransacked. Again he'd called a bobbie. After the photo shoot, the police had needed more details. However, all they had been willing to tell him was that Mr. Hassan and his wife were dead, and young Abdul was missing. Police rarely answer questions.
As he interspersed confusing remarks about such things throughout his somewhat disjointed narrative, Mr. Forester was still clearly preoccupied with "the process using a new tincture of chromium silver" that he'd tried for Lord Franks.
Dr. Davis expressed worry about the missing boy and the group fell to questioning and theorizing. When asked about the package, Forester said he had not opened it and, no, he hadn't mentioned it to the police. "They didn't ask." Miss Costorari suggested, "Open it." It proved to be a small figurine of fine-grained light-coloured stone. Forester's archaeology skill revealed that it depicted an Arab warrior but with an extra pair of arms more in the style of some Indian religious art. Blake examined it and declared the stone too light to be any kind of known rock despite the surface feel. Dr. Davis mentioned that the group had dealt with rock that was really water, which comment interested Mr. Forester who got the doctor to promise to tell him the tale of the Party's adventure some other time. Further examination showed that designs on the figurine were intricate geometric patterns again reminiscent of Arabic art, albeit nothing truly identifiable as a maker's mark could be determined. Mr. Forester then pulled out a complicated set of goggles that he affixed to his face. Adjusting the lenses which gave off a radiological hum, he was stopped by Miss Costarari, "Should you really do that here/" Fear could be seen on the faces of Lok and Po. "It's k-quite safe," Forester assured her. "But I've been blown up by stuff like that," she wailed. Dr. Davis accepted the photographer's assurance and asked that he continue, but the examination revealed nothing. Forester looked up, still wearing the goggles, and saw Mr. Blake gazing intently at him through the head of his cane. Detect radiology met detect radiology. Miss Costorari looked at the doctor and asked, "Should I take it?" Remembering the theodolite, Davis shook her head, "Not here, not in a public place."
Noting the uneasiness of the Party, Dr. Davis turned to Mr. Forester, "If the attack on the Hassans and your missing student have to do with that figurine, it is possible that your home is not safe. If may also have been ransacked." Relieved that suspicions had been voiced, the group decided to escort the photographer to his apartment. The ladies stayed in their cab with Mr. Steele while the others went up to the flat on the second (American third) floor. To Po's eyes, the place had clearly been ransacked. Mr.Blake noted the unmade bed and the over-flowing workbench. Forester said, "It looks the way I left it." Po continued to prowl uncomfortably, even sticking his head out of the one narrow window. Somewhat to his surprise he disturbed a pigeon-sized bird perched on the windowsill. It flapped off into the dusk, rain tinging metallically off its silver wings.
The young Chinese said, "I'm not sure it's important, but in case it is, do you usually have metal birds perched outside your window?"
"What? No!" Forester answered.
Penrington mused, "A steam mage might..."
Blake ordered, "I would recommend that you take the most valuable of your possessions and not stay here. You may stay with me. Someone wanted to know when you got back here."
Forester started searching, stuffing things into a pair of dilapidated valises, "My notes, the new chromium compound, the grade book, my lesson plan..." It didn't seem to occur to any of them to suggest his toothbrush and a change of clothing.
Blake, in polite but urgent tones, "Let's go!"
Back at Mrs. Oliver's boarding house, the group gathered in the parlor. A quick description was given of the metal bird. Someone muttered, "At least it wasn't flying monkeys." The photographer perked up. "Have you seen the flying monkey dissected by Doctor..." Dr. Davis interrupted gently, "I helped him do the dissection." There ensued a technical discussion between the two scientists which may or may not have distracted the new comer from the performance going on in another part of the room. He may also have been distracted by the visual dissonance of the handsome doctor in an elegant evening gown speaking of such obtuse and/or indelicate matters.
Thus Forester missed seeing the golden glowing floating special effects, when Po tried to do his mental search for the missing child. In the vastness of London, Po found many lost minds, none distinct enough to be identified as the boy he didn't know. Then, at a nod from Dr. Davis, Miss Costorari took off one evening glove and asked for the figurine. After a few moments she handed it back to Mr. Forester. "My eyes were obscured by blowing sand, light-coloured like that statue, not golden yellow like we found in Timbuktu. Through it I had a glimpse of a lovely dark-skinned woman walking up to a two-armed statue that looked much like that one. It was larger than man-sized, however. She was dressed nicely, in rich colours, with much gold jewelry. That is all I could see."
[Note Reminder, Next game will be on Wednesday, October 15, rather than Thursday.]
The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.