silently. Then Jim, finishing his wienerschnitzel , said:
‘Lao needs a lifetime to come up with something. Sadly, we can’t wait that long.’
‘I don’t need any time at all,’ Lao retorted. ‘What I want to say can be said in one word. It can even be demonstrated. In fact, the demonstration has already begun; this journey to Arcadia is the demonstration, and what will endure of it will be the proof.’ He smiled cheekily. ‘But my actual verbal answer will be given to an apparently unrelated question while you are all looking the other way.’
‘You’re just perverse,’ said Jim.
‘Absolutely,’ said Lao.
‘You’re infuriating,’ said Husk.
‘I know.’
‘You’re a tease,’ said Riley.
Lao shrugged.
‘You haven’t got an answer, you’re just bluffing,’ said Propr.
‘Maybe, maybe not.’
‘Don’t indulge him,’ said Jim. ‘Ignore him. And ignore the other one too.’
‘Who’s the other one?’ asked Lao. ‘Oh, I know.’
‘Who?’ said Husk. And then, ‘Oh, yes, I know too.’
‘We all know,’ said Propr.
‘Can you please not mention that name?’ said Jute. ‘I want to sleep tonight.’
‘I think we have invested that name with too much power,’ said Lao. An uneasy silence fell over them. ‘More than that,’ Lao went on in the silence, ‘we’ve somehow created him, and now we’re becoming the victims of our own creation.’
‘He’s real enough,’ said Jim solemnly. ‘He’s the one who assembled us for this journey.’
‘Have you met him?’ asked Lao.
‘No.’
‘Have you seen him?’
‘No.’
‘Do you have any physical proof that he exists?’
‘You have as much proof as any of us – the notes, messages, communications…’
‘They’re not proof.’
‘I’ve seen him,’ said Jute. ‘In glimpses.’
‘Where?’
‘On the journey, in mirrors, here and there.’
‘Figments of your imagination.’
‘I’ve had glimpses of him too,’ said Husk.
‘Me too,’ said Riley.
‘Me too,’ said Sam.
‘I still say we’ve made him up,’ said Lao.
‘How do you mean?’ asked Jim.
‘You know,’ ventured Lao. ‘He’s a group entity.’
‘What’s that?’ asked Jute.
‘Something spectral that a group of people create among themselves.’
‘How do they do it?’ asked Riley in a tiny voice.
‘With their minds,’ said Lao. ‘He’s a creation of our minds.’
They waited for him to go on.
‘Explain!’ said Propr.
‘There’s nothing to explain,’ said Lao.
‘I don’t like where this conversation is going,’ said Jute.
‘No, you’re wrong’ said Jim. ‘He’s real. He’s not something created by our minds. If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t be on this journey. He’s the guiding figure of our adventure.’
‘He is a creation of our minds,’ repeated Lao. ‘The sooner we admit it, the better. Besides, a creation of the group mind can be more powerful than an actual person.’
‘Powerful how?’ said Riley.
‘And in a good way or a bad way?’ Propr added.
‘It depends on the group. If our underlying dynamic is evil, the force we create will be evil. If it’s good, the force will be benign,’ said Lao.
‘Are you making this up?’ asked Sam.
‘Don’t listen,’ Jim said. ‘Don’t let him spook you with all that mind stuff. The person we’re talking about is real.’
‘I’m easy about it all anyway,’ said Lao. ‘Everyone must live in accordance with their own light or darkness.’
A shadow seemed to fall over them and those still eating picked at their food a little disconsolately. They listened to the whisperings of the mountain wind. Then, one by one, they went up to their rooms.
1
Lao and Mistletoe did not feel like sleeping just yet. Being in a new town was a call to adventure. They stayed in their room long enough to change into more informal clothes. Then they stole out of the hotel to find what entertainment the small town offered.
They walked down the road that ran
‘Lao needs a lifetime to come up with something. Sadly, we can’t wait that long.’
‘I don’t need any time at all,’ Lao retorted. ‘What I want to say can be said in one word. It can even be demonstrated. In fact, the demonstration has already begun; this journey to Arcadia is the demonstration, and what will endure of it will be the proof.’ He smiled cheekily. ‘But my actual verbal answer will be given to an apparently unrelated question while you are all looking the other way.’
‘You’re just perverse,’ said Jim.
‘Absolutely,’ said Lao.
‘You’re infuriating,’ said Husk.
‘I know.’
‘You’re a tease,’ said Riley.
Lao shrugged.
‘You haven’t got an answer, you’re just bluffing,’ said Propr.
‘Maybe, maybe not.’
‘Don’t indulge him,’ said Jim. ‘Ignore him. And ignore the other one too.’
‘Who’s the other one?’ asked Lao. ‘Oh, I know.’
‘Who?’ said Husk. And then, ‘Oh, yes, I know too.’
‘We all know,’ said Propr.
‘Can you please not mention that name?’ said Jute. ‘I want to sleep tonight.’
‘I think we have invested that name with too much power,’ said Lao. An uneasy silence fell over them. ‘More than that,’ Lao went on in the silence, ‘we’ve somehow created him, and now we’re becoming the victims of our own creation.’
‘He’s real enough,’ said Jim solemnly. ‘He’s the one who assembled us for this journey.’
‘Have you met him?’ asked Lao.
‘No.’
‘Have you seen him?’
‘No.’
‘Do you have any physical proof that he exists?’
‘You have as much proof as any of us – the notes, messages, communications…’
‘They’re not proof.’
‘I’ve seen him,’ said Jute. ‘In glimpses.’
‘Where?’
‘On the journey, in mirrors, here and there.’
‘Figments of your imagination.’
‘I’ve had glimpses of him too,’ said Husk.
‘Me too,’ said Riley.
‘Me too,’ said Sam.
‘I still say we’ve made him up,’ said Lao.
‘How do you mean?’ asked Jim.
‘You know,’ ventured Lao. ‘He’s a group entity.’
‘What’s that?’ asked Jute.
‘Something spectral that a group of people create among themselves.’
‘How do they do it?’ asked Riley in a tiny voice.
‘With their minds,’ said Lao. ‘He’s a creation of our minds.’
They waited for him to go on.
‘Explain!’ said Propr.
‘There’s nothing to explain,’ said Lao.
‘I don’t like where this conversation is going,’ said Jute.
‘No, you’re wrong’ said Jim. ‘He’s real. He’s not something created by our minds. If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t be on this journey. He’s the guiding figure of our adventure.’
‘He is a creation of our minds,’ repeated Lao. ‘The sooner we admit it, the better. Besides, a creation of the group mind can be more powerful than an actual person.’
‘Powerful how?’ said Riley.
‘And in a good way or a bad way?’ Propr added.
‘It depends on the group. If our underlying dynamic is evil, the force we create will be evil. If it’s good, the force will be benign,’ said Lao.
‘Are you making this up?’ asked Sam.
‘Don’t listen,’ Jim said. ‘Don’t let him spook you with all that mind stuff. The person we’re talking about is real.’
‘I’m easy about it all anyway,’ said Lao. ‘Everyone must live in accordance with their own light or darkness.’
A shadow seemed to fall over them and those still eating picked at their food a little disconsolately. They listened to the whisperings of the mountain wind. Then, one by one, they went up to their rooms.
1
Lao and Mistletoe did not feel like sleeping just yet. Being in a new town was a call to adventure. They stayed in their room long enough to change into more informal clothes. Then they stole out of the hotel to find what entertainment the small town offered.
They walked down the road that ran