living forever if you can’t occasionally change your horizon? Wherever we go we can always come back, so let’s see some fresh sights.”
He kissed her. “Thank you,” he said.
He looked towards The Junction and realised part of him was tempted to abandon the journey before they had even begun. Did he really want to leave all this behind? To seek out its very opposite? Why not just return to their dreaming and their life of pleasure?
Because, he thought, pleasure, like anything, palls if you have nothing to compare it to. And guilt will always be the vinegar that sours any meal.
They would come back here soon enough. When they did it would be in the company of other lost souls. A paradise shared.
He looked to Veronica who had conjured an orb out of the air. “All you have to do is imagine it,” she explained, “just like the rooms in The Junction. You dream it and it’s here.”
The orb hovered in front of them and he took her hand. He looked at her and she nodded, giving him her permission to change their lives.
“Take us to Hell,” he said.
6.
A RNO AND V ERONICA followed the glowing orb until it led them into land that seemed as indistinct as a dream. If much of the Dominion of Clouds was a place that built itself on the human imagination, this was the hinterland, a place where thoughts became vague and details blurred.
There was a thin, white fog that curled around them as they walked, the sand beneath their feet just as nondescript.
“I don’t like it here,” Veronica announced, hugging herself though it wasn’t cold, the air around them as ambivalent as everything else. “It feels like everything’s fading. A few more steps and there’ll be nothing around us at all.”
“It seems to know the way,” said Arno, pointing at the orb as it slowly hovered a few feet ahead of them.
“Well, I wish it would take us somewhere worthwhile. Hell can’t be worse than this.”
The orb drew to a halt, dropped to a foot or so above the ground and began moving back and forth.
“It’s gone mad with the boredom of the place,” said Veronica. “We should tell it to take us back while it still has some semblance of life.”
“It’s not that,” said Arno, squatting down and looking ahead. “The ground stops here.”
Ahead of them was a chasm vanishing down into the white fog.
“How deep is it?” Veronica asked.
“No idea,” Arno replied. “Can’t tell how wide it is either, not with all this fog.”
“How are we supposed to get across then?”
The orb continued to move backwards and forwards and then shot directly at Veronica. On instinct, she caught it in her hands as it pressed against her belly, pushing her back several feet.
“I told you!” she said, “it’s gone mad!”
“No,” said Arno, “I think it’s trying to help.”
“Help? It’s going to help wind me that’s all.”
“Hold onto it, grip it hard.”
She did so and then gave a shocked cry as it lifted her from the ground.
“That’s how we get across!” he said. “It carries us.”
Veronica let go, dropping a foot or so before the chasm. “You’re joking,” she said. “Who knows how far it is? What if we can’t hold on that long?”
Arno thought about this for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll go first. Just in case. You can follow when we know it’s safe.” He waved at the orb. “Come here.”
It floated over to him and he walked around it, trying to think of the best way to ride on it. Eventually he pressed it to his lower belly, grabbing it with both hands and trying to find his point of balance.
“I don’t like this,” said Veronica.
“I’m not that enthusiastic myself,” admitted Arno, “but what’s the worst thing that can happen? You can only die once.”
The orb lifted slowly and he fought to shift his balance, trying to find the most secure grip as it floated out over the chasm. The skin of it felt soft under his fingers, like a well-stuffed leather
He kissed her. “Thank you,” he said.
He looked towards The Junction and realised part of him was tempted to abandon the journey before they had even begun. Did he really want to leave all this behind? To seek out its very opposite? Why not just return to their dreaming and their life of pleasure?
Because, he thought, pleasure, like anything, palls if you have nothing to compare it to. And guilt will always be the vinegar that sours any meal.
They would come back here soon enough. When they did it would be in the company of other lost souls. A paradise shared.
He looked to Veronica who had conjured an orb out of the air. “All you have to do is imagine it,” she explained, “just like the rooms in The Junction. You dream it and it’s here.”
The orb hovered in front of them and he took her hand. He looked at her and she nodded, giving him her permission to change their lives.
“Take us to Hell,” he said.
6.
A RNO AND V ERONICA followed the glowing orb until it led them into land that seemed as indistinct as a dream. If much of the Dominion of Clouds was a place that built itself on the human imagination, this was the hinterland, a place where thoughts became vague and details blurred.
There was a thin, white fog that curled around them as they walked, the sand beneath their feet just as nondescript.
“I don’t like it here,” Veronica announced, hugging herself though it wasn’t cold, the air around them as ambivalent as everything else. “It feels like everything’s fading. A few more steps and there’ll be nothing around us at all.”
“It seems to know the way,” said Arno, pointing at the orb as it slowly hovered a few feet ahead of them.
“Well, I wish it would take us somewhere worthwhile. Hell can’t be worse than this.”
The orb drew to a halt, dropped to a foot or so above the ground and began moving back and forth.
“It’s gone mad with the boredom of the place,” said Veronica. “We should tell it to take us back while it still has some semblance of life.”
“It’s not that,” said Arno, squatting down and looking ahead. “The ground stops here.”
Ahead of them was a chasm vanishing down into the white fog.
“How deep is it?” Veronica asked.
“No idea,” Arno replied. “Can’t tell how wide it is either, not with all this fog.”
“How are we supposed to get across then?”
The orb continued to move backwards and forwards and then shot directly at Veronica. On instinct, she caught it in her hands as it pressed against her belly, pushing her back several feet.
“I told you!” she said, “it’s gone mad!”
“No,” said Arno, “I think it’s trying to help.”
“Help? It’s going to help wind me that’s all.”
“Hold onto it, grip it hard.”
She did so and then gave a shocked cry as it lifted her from the ground.
“That’s how we get across!” he said. “It carries us.”
Veronica let go, dropping a foot or so before the chasm. “You’re joking,” she said. “Who knows how far it is? What if we can’t hold on that long?”
Arno thought about this for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll go first. Just in case. You can follow when we know it’s safe.” He waved at the orb. “Come here.”
It floated over to him and he walked around it, trying to think of the best way to ride on it. Eventually he pressed it to his lower belly, grabbing it with both hands and trying to find his point of balance.
“I don’t like this,” said Veronica.
“I’m not that enthusiastic myself,” admitted Arno, “but what’s the worst thing that can happen? You can only die once.”
The orb lifted slowly and he fought to shift his balance, trying to find the most secure grip as it floated out over the chasm. The skin of it felt soft under his fingers, like a well-stuffed leather
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