I'd love to hear your ideas on what is on the 35 floor, what the dove is for, what Agustus will do when he gets there, why this is all a big secret, exct.
Enjoi!
The 35 Floor
***
“Auntie May?” The little boy asked innocently.
“Yes, sweetest boy?” Affectionately answered the old woman with her gray hair tied in a bun, tenderly smearing a salve over the boy’s neck.
“Where is Daddy?” He asked coyly.
The long wrinkled fingers paused on his slender boyish neck.
“Your Daddy isn’t here, sweetie.”
“Why?”
“Your Daddy is…a very busy man.”
“When will I see him?”
“I’m… not sure sweetness.”
“I bet that Daddy will come here someday to save me, and we can watch the clouds together, just the three of us.”
“I’m sure he will.”
***
What is this, some kind of sick joke? I stared at the small slip of parchment in my hand, trying to piece together what the sentence written on it might possibly mean.
Don’t unleash the lion from his cage.
“Don’t unleash the lion from his cage?” I read aloud under my breath. What in light’s name did that mean? Was there really a lion at the 35 floor? That didn’t make any sense at all, because the Temple of Light didn’t hold exotic animals 35 stories away from everything else breathing other than the birds in the sky.
“The Bishop must be serious; he’s the most proud and serious man that I know…But why on earth is he sending me up there to deliver this three times every day for a week?” I sighed, glancing at the two things that the bishop had given me to deliver.
One was a silver tray that was wrought with the patterns of vines and flowers along the outer edge, polished until it shone like liquid metal. On the tray were several silver boxes of the same design, arranged on the tray in a manner that they would not easily fall, the shining lids sealed so tightly that it seemed that the smallest molecule couldn’t enter or exit. They all seemed as if they should be used for food at an elegant ball, not for toting around.
The second item was even stranger. It was a delicate wire bird cage, the kind that was cylindrical until it curved into a dome-shaped top that ended with a loop for easy carrying. The sturdy cage was ornately but appropriately weaved and decorated with wire vines and flowers, so I almost missed seeing the rather dainty convex door on the cage’s side to disengage the bird that would be inside. The cage wasn’t vacant, however. A fluffy pure white she-dove was perched inside on a wire peg, occasionally flicking her downy feathers and cooing prettily.
“Could the Bishop have meant you, little bird? Are you a lion?” I chuckled as if speaking to a child, leaning over and waggling a finger through the cage at her.
I straightened and turned the paper in my hands in yet another cursory check for hidden clues, mentally reviewing the Bishop’s words.
“Augustus, I have a special job for you. We are putting a lot of trust in you.” The weathered Bishop harrumphed, standing in front of the half-circle marble desk that seemed too big for just one man, belonging to the High Priest.
I had been standing in the center of the gigantic two-story high ceilinged circular room made of polished white marble, nervously shifting my weight. It was just the same as being called in for punishment by the High Priest, standing in the exact center of the blazing sun stained carefully with shades of orange and yellow into the virgin marble floor, so big that no one was near as tall as the diameter of it, triangles of a darker color stained in like writhing flames around it’s circumference.
“I am honored and humble at your benevolent trust.” I answered slowly, my stomach quivering.
“It’s not my benevolence you should be grateful for, But the High Priest’s benevolence. This is a task appointed specifically to you by the High Priest.” Then he mumbled something under his breath, and the only words that I had caught were ‘won’t be for long.’
“The High Priest chose you for this task for several reasons. The first being; you are a very sharp lad with keen eyes and a body to match. Secondly; you have a very loyal and trustworthy personality, always reliable and true to your word. Lastly; you follow orders diligently and without question.” The old Bishop watched me carefully with those heavy eyes, snowy robes swinging and swishing slightly.
“What is my task, Father?” I asked after an appropriate pause, disliking the sound of my task with every fiber in my being.
“You are to come directly here after every breakfast, lunch, and dinner bell tolls, and take this tray and dove up to the 35 floor without disturbing them or dropping them. Once you are on the 35 floor, you must go to the right side of the hallway and go to the 35 door. 35 is the pattern, remember that, boy! At that room, you will deliver them and bring them back. Every trip you take will have a new tray waiting for you.
“This will continue for the duration of the week until you are trusted enough to adopt the rest of your new role.” He finished, and I wasn’t at all relaxed by the bizarre mission.
“Is it out of place for me to ask something, Father?” I prompted respectfully.
“I understand that you are confused about the nature of your task. Let me tell you this; nobody, and I cannot stress the importance of this, nobody must know of your task, or anything that you may witness or find on the 35 floor, nor may you mention anything remotely close to that floor and what goes on up there. You are forgiven if you are forced to lie about why you go there. You may not even speak to the other Bishops about this matter. Since you are an orphan raised by the Temple with no relatives, it shouldn’t be difficult to keep it secret. Understood?”
“I understand.” I answered, trying desperately to hide my shock. Lying? Secrets? When did the Temple of Light hold such secrets, why must I hide this to the point that I could lie?
“Good. What was your question, but don’t ask what is there in that room, either, I can see the question on your face.” The Bishop grated as if irritated by me.
It took me a minute to find a reasonable question, staring out the two-story windows covering the entire backside of the High Priest’s office that were made of shards of glass stained every possible color to form a shimmering mural of a sun, the Temple’s symbol, and the symbol of all that was good and walked in the light. The rows and rows of countless book shelves that reached all the way to the ceiling and bordered the huge window felt like gigantic pinchers closing in on me.
“What about my own food, if I must report here every meal?” I asked timidly.
“You may bring your meals with you and eat them there, so long as you are cautious. You must not become comfortable in that room. Now, enough. Go and perform this task now. Then, once you are finished, the new tray will be awaiting you at the lunch bell. Go now, my son, and may the light protect you.”
I sighed heavily, peering over my shoulder at the two heavy double doors with four guards posted on either side farther down the marble hallway that resembled a tunnel. The High Priest’s office was the most controversial places in the Temple, as it was only visited by important peoples like royalty to speak with the High Priest, and Acolytes like myself were often summoned there to be chided and punished by the Bishops.
And I’ll be punished if I dawdle any longer… I thought with a heavy sigh. I bent down and carefully placed the cage on top of the boxes resting on the tray, then with the utmost caution I slid my fingers underneath the smooth tray, and was shocked to find that the tray was warm underneath the boxes.
The dove protested and flapped her wings when I lifted the tray, the cage sliding forward and leaning against my shoulder awkwardly.
“Sorry, little bird, I guess you’re traveling with me this way.” I murmured, and then strode down the hallway with as much dignity and courage as I could muster.
***
