All the teenagers at Sherwood High were excited about the arrival of the hypnotist, but for Miriam, the show has some rather unexpected consequences...

Echoes

By Melanie Ezell

Chapter 1: The Amazing Gordon

*God, could this class drag on any longer?*

"Miriam! Check this out!"

Miriam turned in time to see Cary, his best friend, doing a one handed handstand. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, Cary, pretty cool." As he turned around, he heard a crash and the distinctive sound of Cary yelping in horror. The tall blonde boy dove into his assigned front row seat just before the teacher re-entered the room, much to Miriam's amusement. The cold stare from the teacher kept the laughter from the class to a minimum.

How did Cary ever become his best friend? They were as different as could be, after all. While Miriam was "tiny" compared to, well, just about everyone else in his school, Cary was one of the tallest members of their ninth grade class, with a slightly rugged appearance that contrasted greatly with Miriam's elfin features. Where Miriam was quiet and more of a listener, Cary was loud and full of a humor that was almost infectious. They were both well liked, if not popular, and were often called "The Odd Couple" by their fellow classmates. Nevertheless, they were nearly inseparable and had been since Cary moved to Robins Lake in the second grade, causing more than a few problems with the local "jocks" calling them rather rude names.

Miriam was too excited about the upcoming assembly to really concentrate on classwork, as was everyone at Sherwood High. After all, a hypnotist! This would be quite a show!

It had been the custom of the school for as long as anybody could remember to invite some sort of entertainer every semester, bringing in magicians, singers, artists, even the community theater group on several occasions to entertain the students. After hearing about the arrival of the hypnotist to town, the Events Committee knew instantly what this semester's event would be.

Cary turned suddenly to Miriam and said, “Hey! Maybe we can get him to hypnotize one of the girls and make her take her top off! That would be cool!”

Miriam didn't agree. First of all, because even at fifteen puberty had not yet graced the small auburn haired boy, and girls held no interest for him in that way. Second, he knew exactly which girl Cary wanted to see, and was too good of a friend to her - to all the girls - to think it funny that they should be embarrassed like that in front of the entire school.

Cary saw the face he gave him, and just grinned. “Hey, I know they're your friends, and besides, I wasn't serious! The school would never allow that!”

Miriam laughed. You couldn't stay mad at Cary long- he was too much of a goofball to be serious about anything.

"So, what do you wanna see?”

Miriam sighed. “Well, I've always thought it'd be neat to see a past life regression.”

Cary looked at him confused. “What's that?”

“It's where they hypnotize you, and then send you back in time in your head. You've heard of reincarnation? Well, they think your spirit remembers its past lives, so you can actually remember things from hundreds of years ago!”

“Hmm. Well, I don't believe it. Besides, I'm too cool to be hundreds of years old.”

Miriam laughed again. “Well, you most definitely are immature!”

That earned him a punch just as the bell rang to announce the time for the assembly.

<=====>

Once inside the loud, crowded Assembly Hall Cary and Miriam were forced to split up. As a member of the Events Committee, Cary was required to sit with the teachers on occasions such as this.

“Hey, over here!”

Miriam looked around to see his friend Lindy waving to him. He quickly made his way over to the tall brunette- the very person Cary had been wanting to see naked on stage. She hugged him when he finally reached her through the press of students, as she yelled above the din, “Why don't you sit with us?”, by us meaning her and the group of girls she hung out with.

“Um, okay. Where are you sitting at?”

“Right up here, in the front! Come on!”

She quickly led him to two adjoining seats in the very front row, center stage. All the boys around looked at Miriam in jealousy of sitting next to arguably the prettiest girl in school, but he knew they had no competition. Having a relationship with Lindy - or any of her girlfriends - would be like dating his sisters.

“Oh, I'm so excited!” she told him, and he just giggled with the girls at the thought of what the hypnotist might do.

Everyone quickly settled into their seats, and at the urge of the principal, quietened down just as the lights started to dim. Miriam felt a chill go through him from the excitement, and then, the curtain on stage began to slowly rise.

The stage was bare, save for the presence of an old ragged couch from the theater department and two mics on stands. Suddenly, to the blast of a trumpet fanfare across the speakers, an older man walked slowly from stage right to stand in the middle of the spotlight tracking across the set. His costume was quite extravagant, a purple velvet short coat with tails over a classic vest and black tie affair and wing tips, all topped off with an old, rather gaudy tophat perched at a rakish angle atop his greased back hair. As the trumpet blasts finished, he bowed genteelly before taking up the first mic.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, I am The Amazing Gordon, hypnotist extraordinaire. Welcome to the greatest event of your short lives! Today you will witness the unbelievable, the uncanny, dare I say it, the impossible!” With broad, sweeping gestures, he seemed to bring every word he spoke to life, with an obvious flair for showmanship.

From the back of the room, through the laughter of all the students, one boy yelled, “Yeah, we've heard that all before! What can you do!”

“My dear boy! Why, to think you could question my talents!” The Amazing Gordon responded in mock injury. “I can make a football player into a star ballerina, the weakest of you into a world class wrestler, the strongest mind forget their own name! Even, though possibly the hardest of all, teach you some courtesy!” he said, with an impish grin that sent the audience roaring in applause as the young boy sat back embarrassed. They all knew this would truly be an entertaining evening.

“Now, before I begin, I feel there are a couple of things I must do. First and foremost, a warning: those of you who aide me on this journey will most likely do rather, shall we say, embarrassing activities.” This got a round of laughs and a few nervous giggles. “However, I swear on my honor as a hypnotist that no harm will come to you, nor will anything vulgar - such as stripping - be so much as mentioned.” Several of the boys in the audience let out disappointed moans, and Miriam could almost swear Gordon had aimed a wink at Cary as he delivered the warning.

“Good! With that settled, I need a volunteer!”

Over the next hour, the students were treated to an astonishing show. The Amazing Gordon opened with the first promised trick, and the cafeteria cum auditorium was brought to the brink of tears watching the star quarterback prance about to “Swan Lake”. After that, a junior girl volunteered, and was convinced to beatbox for the students. Everything from dead limbs to animal noises were performed on stage by numerous other members of the school body including several teachers, until Gordon stopped with a flourish to prepare for an announcement.

“My next trick shall, unfortunately, be my last for this evening.”

The entire audience visibly sagged at the realization that their show was nearing completion.

“Don't be weary, ladies and gentlemen, for my last act shall be most spectacular! In fact, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to ask the audience for suggestions!”

A murmur began passing through the seated children as questions of what should be performed were exchanged. From the teacher's table, though, Miriam clearly heard Cary yell for all to hear, “Do a past life regression for Miriam!”

Gordon's eyes seemed to take on a mischievous gleam as he said, “And who is this Miriam, might I ask?”

“Right here!” Lindy yelled, standing to introduce Gordon to his next “volunteer”, who appeared to be trying to melt into his chair.

“Ah, thank you, young lady. Would you be so kind as to bring my next victim- excuse me, guest- up on stage?”

Despite his best efforts, Miriam found himself unable to either melt into his chair or disappear, and blushed profusely as Lindy dragged him towards the center of the stage, to a round of jeers and applause from the audience.

“Ah, young Miriam, how splendid! Now, if you'll just take a seat on the sofa, I'll be with you shortly.” As Lindy headed offstage to return to her seat, The Amazing Gordon proceeded to explain to the audience what he was about to do. “Of all acts of hypnosis, the Past Life Regression is one of the most incredible and difficult. To send somebody back in time, to bring personalities through the void and into the realm of the physical once again, requires the utmost concentration on the parts of both the technician and the subject. Luckily for you, I have spent nearly ten years perfecting my technique, honing my mind to such a point, that it is but a small feat to obtain superior results. Please, young Miriam, lie down and we may begin.”

Miriam stretched out on the dusty old piece of furniture carefully, unsure of what was happening. As he settled into the well-worn cushions, Gordon took his place at the head, looking down upon Miriam with a broad grin.

The room was filled with a nervous silence as The Amazing Gordon began his work, using not a pocket watch to instigate hypnosis as with the others, but rather a crystal of a most beautiful violet hue dangling from a silver chain. “Now, concentrate on the pendulum, young one. Follow its path through the air, the slow sweeping motion as it swings from peak to peak, vertex to vertex, back and forth...” Miriam felt himself losing awareness of all but the pendulum, and slowly slipped into a cloud of purple and gray.

<=====>

A haze seemed to cover everything about him as Miriam tried to concentrate.

*Where am I?*

#You are nowhere,# a mysterious voice echoed from the platinum light surrounding the young man.

*Who are you?*

#I am no one. I am everyone. I am any one who lives, or has lived.#

Miriam was quite freaked out at this point, and attempted to scream, but no sound could escape his earnestly straining throat.

*Why am I here?* He thought.

#To learn.#

*To learn? To learn what?*

#To learn who you are.#

*I don't understand!*

Suddenly, a bright flash of white hot light brought him awake with a start.

<=====>

Marina screamed as she awoke with a start, sending her schoolbooks flying to the floor.

"Good to see you've finally decided to rejoin us, Mrs. Fallon. Now, if you'd be so kind as to answer the question you so rudely interrupted?"

"Um, what?" She asked, as she turned a brilliant shade of crimson from the laughter of the other students surrounding her confusion.

"Miss Fallon, I'd appreciate it if you could return your thoughts to 1965, please. Now, can you tell me who wrote the Surprise Symphony or not!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Leese. Um, I dunno, Handel? Haydn? Someone like that?"

The teacher was not amused. "Mrs. Fallon, this is the last time. I'd hate to have to report to your parents that-" another bright flash of light, and the classroom was gone again.

<=====>

"Mary Anne! Are you there?"

Mary Anne came out of her daze and looked around to try and find who was calling her. Bruce seemed perfectly content to sit on the stairs and await her return and the continuation of her ear scratching duties.

"Jessie, what eva is the problem?"

"Mary, them northerna's is comin' back! They said we have to free them damned niggas!"

"Oh, Daddy will not appreciate that! I'm sure thea's gonna be some words!"

The dog could wait while she fetched her father. If they lost those slaves there's no way Charlie would take her hand! Through the large oak front doors, and into the study-

<=====>

Marian opened her eyes slowly, though it didn't aid in her perception of her surroundings. No light penetrated into her dank, smelly, private hell, but she'd learned to dread the times it did. When there was light in the room, then one of 'them' were in the room. And if they were in the room, then she knew they were going to hurt her.

She couldn't remember much from before she was locked in this cage. They'd gotten her when she was seven, and all she'd known since then was the darkness, and the pain. She remembered her mother, so long ago, telling her the story of Maid Marian, her namesake, and Robin Hood. When they first took her, she'd hoped for a rescuer like him, but after the first few years came the realization that he'd never come.

Neither had they, for nearly six days. She was so weak. So tired.

A new darkness descended, not cold like that she knew- a numbness that took the pain away. For the first time in almost ten years, she could smile as everything melted into nothingness-

<=====>

Miriam awoke to the sound of somebody screaming. After a few seconds, he realized it was him.

"What happened?!"

Gordon, with a grave look upon his face, simply looked him over before replying nervously, "Nothing, nothing at all."

Miriam was quickly bundled up by the school nurse and taken offstage, while he noticed the entire auditorium was staring at him with looks of shock and horror.

"Come on, deary, we need to get you out of here. That man needs to tell everyone else something without you hearing it, I'm afraid. Come on!"

As he followed her, shaking, towards her office, he just managed to catch The Amazing Gordon saying to the crowd, "She must never know what happened to her today."

Miriam vaguely wondered who he was talking about, but was shaking too hard to put much thought into it.

Chapter 2: A Slip of the Tongue

Miriam tried hard to think of what could have happened when he went under, but couldn't seem to pin anything down. Vague recollections, like shadows of memories, seemed to flit through his mind, but as soon as he tried to concentrate on them they'd disappear. "What happened to me?" he asked the nurse busy checking his blood pressure.

"Sweety, I'm not sure that's for me to be tellin' you." was all he managed to get. Well, this was most definitely NOT what he had been expecting.

<=====>

The Amazing Gordon gazed intently at the crowd before him. He dreaded what he was about to have to do, but it was for the protection of the child, and he knew there wasn't any other way to handle things. He decided to deliver the main message first, and then explain why. "She must never know what happened to her today."

He noticed several faces in the crowd look at him, confused. "Who's she, sir?" The young lady who had guided the poor lamb on stage asked.

"Your friend, Miriam. She must never know what we saw in her past."

While obviously less confused now, the girl gave him an odd stare as she spoke, "Mr. Gordon, sir, Miriam is a boy."

*My God*, he thought, *this is worse than I could have imagined.*

<=====>

The last hour of the school day seemed to pass unbearably slow for Miriam as he tried not to think about what had happened. What HAD happened? He couldn't remember anything, and no matter who he asked nobody else seemed to want to tell him.

*Did I do something? Why did I scream, and what's got everyone else so nervous?*

Finally, after an age of waiting, the final bell rang and the students began exiting the classroom and heading home. He just managed to catch Cary at the doors to accompany him.

"So, surely YOU can tell me what went on?"

"I'm sorry, Miriam, I can't."

"Why won't anybody tell me! GAH!"

"Man, I'm really sorry, but we've all been told not to!"

"GRRRR!!"

The rest of the walk home was made in silence, Cary too upset to talk and Miriam too frustrated. *Why can't they just let me know what's going on? It's not like it can hurt anything. Can it?*

The afternoon and dinner passed in a rush, and Miriam soon found himself preparing for bed, still completely clueless as to what could have happened.

Plantations and fields, odd yet somehow familiar classrooms, and an evil blackness filled his dreams that night, and he woke up several times to find himself in a cold sweat with nothing to attach the images spinning through his head to reality.

<=====>

Cary tried to go to sleep, but couldn't get the events of the day out of his head. He was tempted to think it was all some kind of sick joke on the part of that Gordon guy, but why? And besides, when they woke Miriam back up Gordon was in as much a state as any of the other adults trying to make sure he was okay.

More disturbing, though, was Cary's inability to get the image of Miriam as a girl out of his head. He of all people knew that Miriam wasn't exactly the most manly of sorts, but to the best of his knowledge nobody had ever thought Miriam acted like a girl. After those memories, or whatever they were, though, it somehow seemed to fit.

How could his best friend have been a girl? And why did the idea of him being one again excite him so much?

<=====>

Lindy tried to call Miriam, but by the time she got home after dance practice and dinner he'd already gone to bed. She worried about him just as much as any of her girlfriends, possibly more. Being the only boy in their little group, all the girls had kind of adopted him, and though neither he nor Cary knew it, the teasing from the jocks would have been much worse if it wasn't for the girls in the group who were dating sports players keeping them somewhat in check.

That Past Life Regression thing had been interesting, but not really that surprising to her. She'd always considered Miriam to be just "one of the girls," and none of the others from what she could tell considered him to be anything else. She understood why they had to keep what happened from getting to Miriam, but had a bad feeling that someone would use it against him.

How can you sleep when one of your best friends' lives is on the line?

<=====>

BRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZ!

Miriam awoke the next morning in a less than chipper mood. Between the odd dreams and anxiety over the drama the day before, his sleep had been troubled and broken at best, nonexistent at worst.

"There you are, you little bedhead! I thought I'd have to drag you downstairs for breakfast this morning by that mop of yours." Gina, his mom, had been pestering Miriam to get a haircut for weeks, but he'd been holding off to save his money for a new computer instead. It was down to his shoulders by now, but he didn't really mind and he kept it clean, so she didn't bother him too much about it.

"Sorry, mom, I had some weird dreams last night, they kinda kept me awake."

"Well, you need to get around quickly if you plan on walking to school this morning with Cary. Eat up and then off with you!"

After a rushed breakfast Miriam made his way towards his room to get dressed in the standard school uniform- loose jeans, baggy tee, threadbare jean jacket and sneaks and he was ready for the day.

"Bye mom!" He called as he ran out the door and down the street towards his and Cary's regular rendezvous spot at the corner of Loksley and Sherwood. It was weird living on a street named after your great grandfather, but at least sharing a last name with your street address meant you never forgot where you lived!

After meeting up with Cary, they turned off Loksley and down Sherwood towards the school. It wasn't far, maybe a fifteen minute walk on an average day, but it usually gave them time to talk and discuss homework before class. Today, however, Miriam couldn't help feeling that Cary seemed oddly uncomfortable walking with him.

After five minutes of trying unsuccessfully to start a conversation with the boy, he finally gave up. "Fine! If you won't talk to me, though, at least tell me why!"

Cary gave him a startled look, and stuttering tried to answer. "Well, i-it's ju-just that, well, um, s-s-s-sorry."

Miriam couldn't help the pout that formed on his face. After a couple of minutes more of walking, Cary finally seemed to pull himself together and opened up for conversation, and by the time they reached the school, Miriam had almost forgotten about the difficulties earlier. They met Lindy at the doors to the school, and the three walked in together to head towards their homeroom.

"So Cary," Lindy asked, "how long until Jonathan's back? I mean, he's been out for what, two weeks now? I think he's probably on the last leg as far as excused absences, even for being sick."

"He got out of the hospital after getting over the Pneumonia over the weekend, and his mom and the doctor felt it'd be best if he recovered another week before returning, so he should be back Monday."

"Great!" It was a very poorly hidden fact that Lindy had a tremendous crush on Jonathan, Cary's only other close friend besides Miriam. Their friendship had a bit more foundation than his and Miriam's, as Jonathan was the class clown for the next grade up, and other than having brown hair him and Cary could almost pass for brothers.

"Yeah, as soon as he gets back we have to get back to work on practicing for the Archery Contest, we've already missed too much practice time by goofing around, and with the competition only a few weeks away I'm not sure if we'll be up to par."

"Sure you will be!" Miriam quipped. "You two are the best bowmen in the entire school, even if you haven't practiced since before Christmas break. It's still the first week of March, and the competition isn't until the second week in April, that's plenty of time for you two to get back up to speed!"

They split up at the door to homeroom and each headed towards their assigned desks. Upon reaching his, however, Miriam was surprised to find a skirt and knickers laying in his seat with a note on top. Snickers coming from the back of the room let him know the culprit was John Prince, the so-called "King of Jocks" at Sherwood High, and his flunkies. Without so much as a backwards glance, Miriam simply picked up the bundle, note and all, and placed it upon the teacher's worktable, to be dealt with by someone else. He managed to get back to his desk and seated just prior to the first bell, and the arrival of Mr. Hendricks, their homeroom teacher, signaled the beginning of the school day.

By lunchtime nothing more had occurred to worry Miriam, and he was just beginning to get that warm feeling that he'd come to realize meant a full tummy when shouting from the other end of the cafeteria jarred him out of contemplation of his chicken sandwich and back into reality.

"Hey, girly freak! Over here!"

It was Prince, and apparently his taunts were being directed at who else but Miriam. "Yeah, you heard me, over here!"

"Just ignore them, Miriam," Lindy rubbed his shoulders. "They're just being jerks."

Miriam decided he'd had enough lunch, and picking up his tray, began the walk back towards the return window - on the other side of Prince and his cronies' table. *Just ignore them, easy as that, then you can get out of here.*

His plans were dashed, however, when he was grabbed from behind. Mike Notts, the Sheriffs son, of course. He was Prince's right hand, and only ever managed to pass his classes or keep from getting expelled due to his father's threats of "searching" the school for illegal substances.

"Think you can ignore us, you little faggot!" Prince was obviously in full blown bully mode today, and despite the fact that nobody wanted to see Miriam treated so, the risks of jumping in were too great, and with Cary already gone...

"What's wrong, didn't like your skirt this morning? Figured a little girl like you would absolutely love that, after yesterday! 'Oh, no, don't hurt me!' Bet you liked all those girly lives, didn't you! 'Mary Ann' this and 'Marian' that!"

What was he talking about? Girly lives? And who was Mary Ann-

Miriam's tray hit the floor just as the fist connected with his stomach.

<== chapters 3 and 4 coming soon!==>