She jumped out of the bath, hastily threw on a robe, and rushed to the room where the portal-cabinet was stored, carrying a towel. She was overjoyed to see the portal still open as she entered the room.
The Mural and the Cabinet
part 9 of 21
by Trismegistus Shandy
Thanks to Lucario and Maplestrip for feedback on story ideas, and to Yuki Kitsune for beta reading the manuscript.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Days passed, and then weeks. Zindla and her family came to visit a couple of times, and they invited Devi to come to their house as well; Myanda was having dinner with them, too, but he left after a while, and Devi was able to visit with Zindla by themselves for an hour or so before Tyemba escorted her back to Kashpur’s apartment.
After Zindla’s coming-of-age ceremony, Devi had started thinking of herself more as a girl. She was enjoying learning girl things from Tashni, as she had from Pasyala and Zindla. She figured this was why she’d been sent here, to learn what it was like to be a girl, so she could be a better brother for Amy when she went back home and became a big boy again. There were still days when he felt like a boy and missed his big boy body, but they came less often as the days passed.
Several times, Kashpur and Sashtun managed to get the portal open for just a moment, but Kashpur judged that it wasn’t safe for Devi to try to go home until they could get it to stay open for a while longer. Then one evening, almost three months after Devi had arrived in this world, she was taking a bath when she heard the bell ring.
She jumped out of the bath, hastily threw on a robe, and rushed to the room where the portal-cabinet was stored, carrying a towel. She was overjoyed to see the portal still open as she entered the room.
“Ah,” said Sashtun with a grin. “Bad timing, eh?”
“Is it safe for me to go home?”
“I think so,” Kashpur said. “We didn’t ring the bell until we’d already had it open for more than a minute. I want Sashtun to go with you. If I can keep the portal open long enough, he’ll come home after a few minutes. Otherwise, he will be your guest until I can get the portal open again, which shouldn’t be too long. Go! Don’t waste any time!”
Devi rushed through into her old bedroom, still carrying the towel. He felt his body change as he crossed the threshold. Everything seemed to be the same as before — it was night, and the full moon was shining in the window. The bathrobe that had come down nearly to her ankles came barely to his knees now, and it was tight in the shoulders. He was still pretty wet. “See, Sashtun, it’s like I said, no time passed here while I was gone.” But something nagged at him... He hadn’t seen a nighttime scene with a full moon when the portal had opened for a second or two a few weeks ago. He turned and saw Sashtun.
The portal had changed him, too. She was now a woman, older than Davey’s mom, but a lot younger than his grandmothers, and her clothes didn’t fit her well, though they weren’t as bad as Davey’s Transformers pajamas had been when he arrived in Zindla’s world. It was hard to be sure in the dim light, but Davey thought her skin and hair were the same colors as his. She was touching herself in places you weren’t supposed to touch yourself in front of other people, and looking around the room curiously. She turned around and looked back through the portal, which was still open on Kashpur’s workshop. “The portal’s changed me too,” she said, seeming startled at the sound of her own voice. “I’ll look around for a few minutes, and come back soon if I can.”
Kashpur looked puzzled, and said something they couldn’t understand. He sounded farther away than he looked.
“I think he’s speaking Stasari,” Sashtun said, “but I can’t understand it anymore now that I speak your English.”
So they tiptoed out of Davey’s bedroom. “That’s my brother Carson’s bedroom,” Davey whispered, “and my sister Amy’s, and our bathroom... and here’s the stairs. Mom and Dad’s bedroom is downstairs, and the kitchen and living room and stuff.”
They went downstairs, Davey warning Sashtun to skip the creaky steps, and he showed her the rest of the house — except his parents' bedroom, obviously. When he turned on the light in the living room, and got a clearer look at Sashtun’s face, he thought she looked kind of like some pictures of his Grandma Platt when she was younger, and kind of like if Mom had a big sister. Like Devi had looked like Zindla’s little sister for the last three months. They returned upstairs and saw that Amy’s bedroom door was open, and there was a light visible under the bathroom door.
A moment later, they heard the toilet flush.
“Was that —?” Sashtun started to ask, and Davey whispered “My sister Amy’s in the bathroom. If you want to meet her, you can —”
“I’d better get back and report,” Sashtun said, and started into Davey’s bedroom.
Davey started to follow her, but just then, the bathroom door opened. Amy blinked sleepily at him for a moment and then shouted “Davey!” and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. “Where were you?” she sobbed. “We were so worried... Oh! Who’s that?”
“That’s Sashtun,” Davey explained. “She helped me get home... I guess it wasn’t just a few minutes here, then.”
“What are you talking about? And why are you wearing a wet robe?”
“I’ll explain,” he said, “but come look...” He took her hand and drew her into his bedroom, flipping on the light switch as he entered.
But the portal was closed. Sashtun stood staring at it, her mouth open.
“It seems I must impose on your hospitality for a time,” she said. “Hopefully not long.”
“What do you mean?” Amy said. “Where have you been all these months, Davey?”
“How many months was it?”
“What do you mean? It’s been six months —”
“Aww, man, I missed Halloween and Christmas!”
“Where have you been?”
“Another world,” he said, “where time doesn’t pass as fast. I guess it’s kind of reverse Narnia. It was only about three months for me over there. And —” He saw Amy’s incredulous expression, and turned to Sashtun. “Back me up, okay?”
“It’s true,” Sashtun said. “I’m still getting used to this... and it looks like I may be stuck here, stuck like this, for a while. Hopefully not as long as Davey was stuck in my world.”
Amy was sobbing again. Davey hugged her. “Don’t cry,” he said. “I’m sorry I was gone so long. I didn’t think time was passing back here, or not much, but even if I’d known, I couldn’t have done anything about it. Kashpur and Sashtun only just got the portal working again.”
“I’m crying 'cause my brother’s gone crazy,” she said, “I just got you back from wherever you went and they’re going to take you away to a mental hospital or something.”
“It’s okay,” he said, feeling hurt. “I won’t tell anybody else, so they won’t think I’m crazy. But I thought you’d believe me, at least.”
“Do you mind if I use your restroom?” Sashtun said.
“Sure, go ahead,” Davey said. Sashtun slipped out of the bedroom and into the bathroom and closed the door.
“Who is that lady, really? Did she kidnap you and stuff?”
“No, I told you, she helped me get back home. When she’s at home, she’s a guy, younger than Uncle Rob but older than Carson. He’s like an intern or journeyman to this old wizard who figured out how to get me home again. And when I was over there —” He paused, blushing, and decided to tell her. “I was a girl. A little girl, about four or five. I guess I should have expected that the portal would turn Sashtun into an older lady...”
Amy was still staring at him incredulously. “Mom and Dad are gonna freak,” she said. “We’ve got to get rid of her before they wake up. Is her car out front?”
“She doesn’t have a car,” Davey said. “They live in a big city, where they’ve got so many buses and trains that most people don’t need cars. Anyway, we didn’t drive here. Why don’t you believe me?”
Amy went to the window and looked out. “I don’t see another car...”
“I told you!”
Amy sighed. “Tell me about it from the beginning. I’m still not sure I believe you, but... the way you disappeared was pretty weird, with all the windows latched and the doors bolted and no keys missing.”
“That’s cause the portal is right here in my bedroom...”
They sat down on Davey’s bed and he told her most of what had happened to him, glossing over his gender confusion during his stay in the other world. He wanted to talk to her about that, too, but he didn’t want Sashtun listening in; she came back from the bathroom, looking pale, about halfway through his story. She stood leaning against the wall by the door, chiming in a little here and there as Davey got to the part of his story where he was living with Kashpur, Sashtun, and Tashni.
“...And then I was taking a bath before going to bed, and I heard the bell ring, so I jumped out, threw a robe on and ran... That’s why I’m still wet, I’ve been too busy to do anything about it.”
Amy reached out and touched Davey’s damp, tangled hair. He finished his story in a few more sentences and then said, “Do you believe me?”
“I don’t know.” She looked doubtfully at Sashtun. “I think... we should wake Mom and Dad up and let them know you’re home.”
“Do you think they’ll think I’m crazy?”
“I... maybe. I guess they might. Um, ma’am, do you have anything you can prove this with?”
Sashtun shrugged. “I don’t suppose my clothes really prove anything, do they? I brought some things with me, but I don’t know if they’ll work in your world, since Davey told us that you don’t have wizards or magic here.”
“Let me see...” Amy began, and then said: “No, let’s wake Mom and Dad up first.”
“Okay,” Davey said. “Sashtun, what about if you wait here while Amy and me go wake up Mom and Dad? And I want to change into dry pajamas first.”
“All right,” Sashtun said. “If the portal opens again in the next few minutes, though, I might be gone when you get back. But more likely it will take a day or two — two day to four days here, if the difference in time rate is consistent.”
Amy gave him an odd look, and then she left the room. Davey had been in such a rush that he’d left his Transformers pajamas in Kashpur’s apartment, so he took a set of pajamas from the drawer and went to the bathroom, where he quickly dried off and changed, finding to his surprise that the pajamas were a little tight, and then went downstairs to find Amy knocking hard on Mom and Dad’s bedroom door. She kept knocking until Mom’s sleepy voice called out “What’s wrong?... I’ll be there in a minute.” They waited by the door until their mom opened it, blinked a couple of times, and cried “Davey!” She grabbed him and hugged him harder than anyone had hugged him in years, and started sobbing. Davey realized he was crying, too.
That noise woke Dad up, even though he was a heavier sleeper than Mom, and before long, he was joining the group hug. He had the presence of mind to say “Where have you been? What happened to you?” after just a few seconds of hugging, though.
Davey started to say something, but Amy interrupted. “That’s a long story. There’s a lady upstairs that Davey says helped him get home.”
“Upstairs?” Mom said with a frown. “Is Carson...?”
“He’s still asleep,” Amy said.
A moment later they were all walking upstairs, Mom and Dad peppering Davey with questions, to all of which he said: “I’ll explain in a minute.” They got to his bedroom, and not surprisingly (at least to Davey), Sashtun was still there, sitting on the edge of Davey’s bed. She stood up when the others walked in.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Platt,” Sashtun said. “I’m Sashtun...”
“Thank you for getting Davey home,” Mom said. “Where has he been? What happened?”
“I went through a doorway to another world!” Davey said excitedly, forgetting his promise to Amy not to tell anyone but her. “And I was only there for three months, but Amy told me it was longer for y’all. And Sashtun helped me get home. She’s a wizard, her and her master Kashpur.”
“Quiet, Davey, this isn’t the time for games,” Dad said. “Ma’am... I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”
“Sashtun,” she said. “He’s telling the truth, though I’m not sure if we can prove it, now that the door has closed again. I’m afraid I’ll have to impose on your hospitality until it opens. Hopefully in a lot less than six months this time, since Kashpur and I have figured out a lot more about it now, but — I can’t be sure.” She looked uncomfortable, Davey realized, and he remembered how he’d felt when he first realized he’d changed into a little girl. It must be just as bad for Sashtun to change into an old woman. It was probably sort of okay when it was just her and Davey, but dealing with Davey’s parents and having them treat her like an old woman... it was kind of like Zindla’s family treating Davey like a little girl.
Davey’s parents stared at her. “You’re joking,” Mom said, and Dad added: “What are you talking about? Start from the beginning.”
“Do you want me to start or her?” Davey asked.
“If you’re ready to tell the truth and stop playing games,” Dad said, turning to him.
“But it’s not a game!” Davey cried in frustration.
“It’s not,” Sashtun said. “I first heard about Davey when my employer told me he had bought an enchanted cabinet and it would be delivered the next day...” She started explaining everything from her perspective, but didn’t get far before Davey’s parents interrupted her again.
“Just listen to her, please,” Amy pleaded. “Let’s wait and see what she says.”
“What she’s said so far is ridiculous,” Mom said.
“It’s all true, but she left out a bunch of stuff,” Davey said. “Sashtun, show them the stuff in your bag.”
“All right,” Sashtun said. She pulled a few things out of her bag and handed them to Mom, Dad, and Amy.
Davey looked at them. There were two books and a couple of pieces of jewelry, a necklace and a pendant. The pendant stone was carved to look like a cat’s head. Mom turned the pendant over in her hand, while Dad looked at one of the books and Amy at the other.
“What language is this?” Dad asked.
“Stasari... it’s my native language,” Sashtun said. “But — when I came through, the portal made me able to speak English, like it made Davey able to speak Stasari when he came to my world. And it seems I can’t read or speak Stasari any more... so much for getting some reading done while I wait for Kashpur to reopen the portal.”
“Convenient,” Dad said. “And what is that jewelry supposed to prove?”
“If it works here — which I doubt, based on what Davey said about your world — the necklace would compel the wearer to tell the exact truth as they know it. The pendant is a tool I might be able to use to analyze the portal from this end — but again, I don’t know if it will work. Do one of y’all want to put on the necklace and test it?”
Mom slipped the necklace over her head and said “The moon landing was a hoax. I have seventeen houses and thirty-seven cars. I believe every word you’ve said. — Yeah, it works perfectly,” she snarked.
“Damn,” Sashtun said. “Pretty much what I expected, really, but I realize it doesn’t help.”
“I guess,” Dad said slowly, turning toward Mom, “you and your colleagues could analyze these books and figure out if they’re in a real, unknown language or if it’s just nonsense, or a cipher for a known language. Hmm...”
“You don’t believe her, do you?” Mom asked.
“Not exactly, but... remember how Davey disappeared with all the doors bolted and the windows latched? And no keys missing?”
“Yeah. That was weird, but this so-called explanation is just ridiculous.”
Just then Carson walked in, yawning and saying “What’s going — Davey!”
“Hi, Carson,” Davey said, and went over and hugged him. He’d really missed him, too, though not as much as Amy or Mom or Dad.
“Who’s that?” Carson asked.
“My name is Sashtun,” she said. “I helped your brother get home.”
“Thanks. A lot. I mean, we thought we’d lost him for good.” His voice was more emotional than Davey had heard it in a long time.
“I’m glad to see you too,” Davey said, and let go of his brother.
“I think,” Dad said, “that you kids had better go back to bed. Go to bed, in Davey’s case — and your mother and I will talk some more with, ah, Sashtun downstairs.”
“You don’t want to hear more about what happened to me?” Davey asked.
“In the morning. It’s a school night — although, depending on... never mind. We’ll talk about it more at breakfast.”
So Davey and his siblings had to go to bed. Mom and Dad hugged him one more time before they went downstairs with Sashtun, and Amy hugged him again before she went to her room. It took him a while to go to sleep, and he watched the place where the portal would appear, just in case it opened again and he had to run downstairs and tell Sashtun.
If you want to read the whole novel without waiting for the serialization, you can find it in my huge ebook collection, Unforgotten and Other Stories. It's available from Smashwords in epub format and Amazon in Kindle format. (Smashwords pays its authors better royalties than Amazon.)
You can find my earlier ebook novels and short fiction collection here:
Comments
back home
what next?
Hard to believe on either side
It took time, but he's home and again having trouble convincing people of the truth. Even with Sashtun there, the truth will be a tough pill to swallow.
If mom and dad are smart, they will keep the fact that Davey went missing but never left the house in any way they could determine. And if that is fact, then what he's telling them must be true.
Eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth.
Others have feelings too.