Lightspeed Magazine is honored to share fiction with io9 readers. Each month, we highlight a story from the current issue of Lightspeed Magazine. This month’s featured story is “Dekar Druid and the Infinite Library” by Cadwell Turnbull. Enjoy!
Dekar Druid and the Infinite Library
By Cadwell Turnbull
In an infinite library, Dekar Druid resides. Except for Ebizenum, who occupies a unique category, Dekar is the sole living inhabitant of the library’s lone tower. Surrounding the tower is a forest, with a lake to the north and a distant peak to the south. Nothing else exists in this secluded location. Although the lake is easily accessible and provides relief on hot days, Dekar has never ventured close to the mountains, as the dense forest stole his breath during his sole attempt to reach them.
While the infinite library may not truly be infinite, Dekar has explored its depths and heights without finding an end. The library, both inside and out, remains untouched by time, much like Dekar himself.
Currently on the fifteenth floor of the library, Dekar is seated on a bench, engrossed in a book. Boredom is a constant companion for him, but he has grown accustomed to this feeling. As he contemplates lunch, his mind wanders to the anticipation of a tender deer meat kabob. Closing the book and adding it to his stack, Dekar ascends to the nineteenth floor, discovering a new book in the darkest corner.
Without questioning his actions, Dekar settles in to read the unfamiliar book, “Longback Berserker.” The story captivates him, drawing him into its world with thundering words and vivid imagery.
Transported into the story, Dekar finds himself in a bustling street lined with purple-painted shops and people. Unnoticed by the inhabitants, he takes in the surroundings as the narrative unfolds in his mind—
The truck idled at the stop sign but Estrid Orchid waited to calm her nerves. She told herself again there was nothing to worry about. She would see what he had to say about the Esket Fragment and leave once he’d told her. She doubted he knew as much as he claimed, even if he’d spent half his life marooned on Esket during the war. The Fragment was in a dead language that the Scattered Tribes no longer remembered, even in their stories. However, she’d still have to do her duty as a scholar and talk to the man.
Once the truck passed and the street was clear of cars, she took one more breath, deciding she was ready. And so, Estrid Orchid crossed the street to meet Ev Tengo . .
Dekar sees a protagonist with soft purple skin and curls of vibrant flowering vines falling to her back as she crosses the street with his littlest eyes. Instead of following his reading voice, whimsy takes hold of Dekar Druid. He decides not to cross the street but to follow the sidewalk to the end of the line of storefronts. He climbs the three steps of the fortune teller’s shop and pushes the insistent narration to the back of his mind. As he enters, a chime sounds, but there is no one at the front desk.
Just as Dekar is about to leave, a woman emerges from a back room, parting a curtain made of blue-green beads. She steps to the front desk, her black vines coiling atop her head, and her eyes, crimson and sparkling, focus entirely on Dekar. Politely, Dekar greets her, and she looks him up and down before disappearing behind the beaded curtain again.
When she returns with a deck of cards, she guides Dekar to a small room with a round table, where they sit across from each other in silence. The woman, who introduces herself as Stranger, shuffles the cards effortlessly. Dekar watches in amazement as she reveals cards that seem to predict his future, including a companion that will bring great change and a shattering of self.
As Stranger turns another card, Dekar feels a new emotion stirring within him, one he cannot quite name. With each card turned, Dekar becomes more anxious, feeling the weight of the predictions that Stranger is revealing. Despite his fears, he remains rooted to his chair, anxiously awaiting the last two cards that will determine his fate. Population control measures have been implemented on Elvine by Err-Kuluxia, the galactic empire that now rules over us. This led to a strain on relationships, as I realized that Ellen could not be the companion from the Carving card. Her health deteriorated, and I visited her on her deathbed, apologizing for my actions and revealing my purpose. The cards revealed a deeper meaning, symbolizing great and terrible knowledge. The reader explained the original interpretation of the cards, hinting at a personal visitation from a higher power. Despite the weight of this revelation, the reader abruptly ended the session, urging Dekar to leave.
Later, during lunch, Dekar discussed his encounter with a living being outside of the narrative. The android, Ebizenum, was intrigued but unsure how to assist with Dekar’s unusual experience. Dekar’s questions about the tower and the books within it left Ebizenum stunned, revealing that Dekar had written all the books during his awake cycles as his Exalted Self. This revelation shocked Dekar, who was overwhelmed by the magnitude of his existence and the endless cycles he had experienced. The conversation left Dekar with more questions about the nature of his reality and the possibility of other living beings in his world. “Yes, there are mountains in the distance, but climbing to the tops of those trees, which I’ve done with Your Exalted Self many times, never brings the mountains closer, no matter where you are in the forest. The dizziness and nausea from spending too long in the forest, the deer, hogs, rabbits, predators of land and air, and the fish pond are all there. Otherwise, there is nothing, Sir Druid. No life like yours or mine.”
“Did I create you?”
“Your Exalted Self created me with his mind. You are powerful in that form, though you cannot go beyond the forest. I built the tower for your books and shelter. Before me, there was only Your Exalted Self, the forest, and the distant peaks. Then me, your books, and the tower.”
So many questions and terrible answers to be had.
“Do you want me to continue to anticipate?”
“No, that’s enough. I need to rest.”
“Of course.” Ebizenum stands and takes Dekar’s unfinished plate and drink. “I’ll keep this in case you’re hungry later.”
Ebizenum’s heavy footsteps help Dekar ignore his racing heart.
The next morning, Dekar wakes with a headache, staring out at the forest’s quiet from the fifth floor of the tower.
“How are you this morning, Sir Druid?” Ebizenum greets him at the door.
“I’m starting to remember things slowly,” Dekar admits.
“Oh, that’s new. Usually, Your Exalted Self returns at once.”
Dekar watches Ebizenum leave, feeling a sense of claustrophobia and a desire to be outside.
It isn’t a decision, but Dekar is drawn back down to the street of purple storefronts, where Stranger awaits.
“I wanted to ask, do you wish to die?” Dekar offers.
“Maybe later. For now, I am leaving the planet to see the universe,” Stranger replies.
“You hate me,” Dekar observes.
“Useless emotion. I’ll get over it,” Stranger says, emphasizing her desire to go a different way than him.
Dekar watches as Stranger goes about her tasks, realizing she sees emptiness in him and chooses a different path. Dia absen memperhatikan bahwa dia tidak bosan, tidak sejak kemarin.
Beberapa menit kemudian, saat Dekar turun tangga toko peramal, Orang Asing membalikkan tanda di pintu, yang bertuliskan: “tutup,” dan di bawahnya, ditulis dengan spidol biru, “tidak terbatas.”
Dekar mengalihkan perhatiannya ke kata-kata yang terus diulang di belakang kepalanya: Dan begitu, Estrid Orchid menyeberang jalan untuk bertemu dengan Ev Tengo untuk pertama kalinya, cendekiawan Err-Kuluxian yang muncul dari Perang Jejak Abu dengan julukan Longback Berserker.
Dan dengan lebih banyak kata yang menyanyi di kepalanya, dan seorang dewa tidur bangun di perutnya, Dekar Druid mengikuti Estrid Orchid untuk melihat ke mana ceritanya akan membawanya.
Tentang Penulis
Cadwell Turnbull adalah penulis pemenang penghargaan The Lesson, No Gods, No Monsters, dan We Are the Crisis. Cerita pendeknya telah muncul di Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Asimov’s Science Fiction, dan beberapa antologi. Novelnya The Lesson merupakan pemenang Neukom Institute Literary Award 2020 dalam kategori debut. No Gods, No Monsters merupakan pemenang Lambda, finalis Shirley Jackson Award dan Manly Wade Wellman Award, serta masuk dalam daftar panjang untuk PEN Open Award. We Are the Crisis adalah finalis Manly Wade Wellman Award dan penerima Ignyte Award. Turnbull dibesarkan di St. Thomas, Kepulauan Virgin, AS.
© Adamant Press
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