Black and White

Author's Note: This is a short story I submitted for a contest. Due to a strict word count, I had to remove a lot of content, which resulted in a short story of which I am proud, but which could do with improving. If you want to read the short story as it is being published, then you are reading the correct version, but if you wish to read it as I had intended to write it, please read the extended version.

Elated by the birth of a new day, the heavens shrugged off their black and indigo mourning robes and donned ones of a more jovial nature, pink and gold by preference. Such was the magnificence of their celebratory attire and the vehemence of their rejoicing that no mortal eye could behold it for too long. So instead, the mortal gaze was shifted to the west, where even the stars were departing before the glorious swathes of light.

The splendour was simply too enthralling for some though, as one Ross White could not remove his transfixed gaze from the east. His companion however, one Seth Black, had no such troubles and was as indifferent to the brilliant display as the plane which carried them inexorably to the south. No, Seth Black was too involved with his own thoughts to be bothered by such trivia as the rotation of a planet.

His thoughts encompassed the usual array of mundane subjects, wealth and power naturally being the most prominent. Although, to stereotype him as the usual ambitious human was rather unfair; he was ambitious nevertheless. He desired not power, for power was equal to the influence brought about by wealth, and of that, he had plenty – the private jet carrying him and his friend to Livingstone Maramba Airport was proof enough. No, Seth desired something else. He sought that which had fascinated him and his best friend, Ross, since their childhood: The Fountain of Youth.

Many an adventurer had gone off in search of it, but none had ever been successful. What Seth and Ross believed made their case unique was their disbelief in the Fountain’s presence in Europe or the Americas. If Africa was the “Cradle of Mankind,” then surely that which would grant eternal life was also to be found there? Alas, the duo had yet to find the proof to substantiate their claim.

Seth was a realist and aware of the likelihood of failure, and had suffered many plights; was it not for his optimistic friend’s ever-present encouragement and support, he would have lost hope long ago. Ross had endured many troubles of his own, being descended from a less wealthy family, but not a single complaint was ever heard from him. Seth had always concluded that Ross’ worries were therefore far fewer and of much less consequence, but perhaps, had he been as a good a listener as Ross, his opinion might have differed.

At least Seth readily admitted that Ross had devoted everything he had to their cause. Though Seth did what research he could, it was Ross who spent sleepless nights researching a potential lead. Every attempt had resulted in disappointment hitherto, but it merely glanced off Ross, or so it seemed, and he enthusiastically descended upon the next opportunity which presented itself. It was therefore no surprise when Ross had approached Seth and had belatedly informed him that their greatest chance of finding the Fountain lived in Alexandria.

It was from Alexandria from whence they had departed earlier that morning, and indeed, it seemed that Fate had finally smiled upon the pair. Ross was ecstatic, but Seth had had an apprehensive and dissatisfying sleep.

He glanced at his friend sitting across the aisle. Gazing out of his window and at the azure sky, Ross seemed to be enraptured by cloud formations.

Ice crystals and water vapour, how fascinating.

Seth envied his friend’s ability to find joy in such simple things. Though his ambition was a gift, as it gave him the determination and strength of will to both pursue his goals and achieve them, it was also a curse; he, like so many others, was doomed to live a discontented life, never being satisfied with what they had, forever coveting something else, something more.

It was thoughts such as those that made him melancholic, so Seth put them aside and rather dreamt of his Fountain. The desire to be remembered, to have a legacy, was integrated into human nature, and it was definitely one he hosted.

He would have his place in history, no matter the cost.

II

The marketplace of Alexandria was always bustling, but more so during the summer than at any other time. The two Caucasian boys who strolled through the various stalls simply ignored the cries of the numerous vendors, however, and made directly for the large burgundy tent.

Inside, saffron, cayenne pepper, and other exotic spices were being sold, their wafting scents so strong, one could actually taste it.

Neither heeded the pungent aromas, though Ross seemed as if would have liked to, for they had business to conduct. Careful not to disturb the perusing patrons, the two boys approached the back of the tent, where another section was separated by hanging strings of claret and imperial purple beads which acted as a screen.

The air of the section wherein their contact – The Sphinx – resided was littered with bowls of incense, filling the air with a lovely fragrance and creating an ambience of peace. Upon entering, though they did not realise it, both Seth and Ross had visibly relaxed.

Many handsome artefacts were also scattered across the room, some on tables, others in chests and cabinets, but they were rendered diminutive and insignificant by the regal Egyptian who stood in the middle of the room.

Her hair was black as midnight and cut in the style ancient Egyptian women were often depicted as wearing. Her skin was radiant and smooth as jade. Much gold and turquoise jewellery embellished her hands, arms and neck, and she wore jewelled scarabs as earrings. At a glance, one could tell the gold and crimson garment she wore around her breast was made from silk of the finest quality. Yet her most prominent feature was neither her clothing nor her jewellery – instead of legs, she had the muscular body of a lioness.

The boys’ countenances reflected their inner thoughts; the satisfied Sphinx smiled. ‘You are my scheduled clients for today, Seth Black and Ross White, yes?’

Seth was the first to recover. ‘We are.’

She approached the desk in between her and the duo and sat down. ‘The fact that you are here means you know how valuable my time is. So, of how much value is it to you?’

Seth extracted a small pouch from one of his pockets and emptied the contents onto the desk. Twelve colourless, one-carat diamonds rolled out.

‘Alright,’ she responded, collecting the diamonds and dropping them into a pouch of her own, ‘you have my attention.’ She gestured to the two chairs opposite her. ‘Do sit down.’ The two did as they were instructed. ‘I apologise that you only now have the chance to discuss what you need from me; you must understand, in my business, secrecy is key. So, what may I do for you?’

‘Supposedly,’ Seth replied, ‘you have knowledge of the whereabouts of a certain spring which grants eternal life. We should very much like you to share it with us.’

The Sphinx scoffed. ‘You think twelve shiny peas are enough to purchase such precious information? No, that price you cannot afford. Not for all the diamonds in the–’ She cut off and her eyes grew wide as he produced a fifteen-carat yellow diamond. ‘Only those pure of heart may enter the Fountain…’ she protested weakly.

Seth was about to retort, when Ross proposed, ‘Then accept the diamond, my lady, and ask us a riddle.’

Seth gave him a dirty look, but the Sphinx nodded her affirmation. ‘It satisfies both the old customs and the new; that is wise. Very well, I shall ask you the riddle. You have the opportunity to leave now, with your lives intact, though without your precious stones; however, once I have spoken, you will answer either correctly or incorrectly.

‘In the event of the latter, I shall deem you unworthy and order my guards to kill you both. In the event of the former, you will prove that your hearts are pure, and I shall bless you and leave you to depart for the Fountain of Youth.’

She looked expectantly at the pair, but they did not budge. ‘Please, my lady, ask us the riddle,’ Ross solicited.

The Sphinx nodded. ‘As ages pass, customs pass also; everything adapts. I ask you this: Arnold Schwarzenegger has a large one, Michael J. Fox has a small one, Madonna lacks one, the Pope never uses his, and Bill Clinton uses his unremittingly. What is it?’

Seth seemed ready to answer, but he hesitated; the Sphinx’s glare was more venomous than a thousand asps, and it was trained on him.

While he squirmed, Ross was gazing thoughtfully into space. It was another minute of contemplation before he answered. ‘A surname.’

The Sphinx gazed at him in incredulity, but quickly recovered her composure. She removed an ankh from around her neck, strode to the largest of the cabinets, placed the ankh into the cabinet like a key, and turned it. The doors opened, and from the inside, she collected a plain ash staff. It was not nearly as impressive as anything else in the room was, for it resembled a gnarled old branch. She handed the staff to him.

‘You truly do have a pure heart. Go to Mosi-oa-Tunya, approach it from Livingstone Island, raise the staff above the water, and ask the way to the Fountain to reveal itself to you.’

The boys were ecstatic. ‘Th-thank you, my lady,’ Ross stuttered, barely able to contain his vivacity.

The thrilled pair proceeded to rush out of the tent. The Sphinx called, ‘The Universe strives towards balance, and it will do whatever it must to achieve it!’ out after them, but her words fell on deaf ears.

III

The stairs which led down the gorge were slippery and wet, and I was drenched by the ubiquitous spray. I can understand why the natives called the Victoria Falls “The Smoke that Thunders”.

After our jet had landed in Zambia, Seth and I found ourselves a room at one of the hotels. When night fell, we rented a helicopter and he flew us to the Falls. Though Livingstone Island was relatively flat, landing there during the dead of night was no mean task. Luckily, the moon was full, so we did not have too much trouble.

We had disembarked and approached the gorge, I finding myself astonished by the magnificence of the scene before us. Seth, conversely, was not at all comfortable standing so close to the edge; he had seemed extremely pale, as if he feared that the gorge was the gaping mouth of some leviathan, waiting for us to descend before snapping its jaws shut.

I had lifted the staff above the water and asked the way to the Fountain to reveal itself to us, per the Sphinx’s instructions, but nothing had happened. Seth had muttered something about “bloody cats stealing his rocks” and I had considered repeating the process, but it was proven redundant.

The earth had shook, almost causing Seth and me to plummet down along with the Zambezi, but it had ceased as abruptly as it had begun. Seth and I had picked ourselves up and found before us a staircase leading down into the chasm.

‘You go down first,’ Seth had said, even paler than before. How he was dreadfully afraid of heights, but had no problem flying in jets and helicopters, was beyond my logic.

My foot slipped and I barely managed to hold on. I gazed down and saw some dislodged rocks tumbling down into the watery abyss. Reminding myself not to let my thoughts wander too much, I proceeded with more caution.

The stairs were actually only pieces of rock jutting out of the side of the cliff. Not only was it wet, but some of the rocks also had moss growing on it. I heard Seth curse above me.

‘How much longer does this continue?’ he called.

I stopped descending and searched the face of the cliff. ‘I think I can see a ledge below me. Hold on, I’ll climb down and find out.’ I descended the final part of the treacherous stairs and planted my feet firmly on it. ‘There is a ledge here!’ I called. ‘And it leads to the left!’

I carefully made my way across the ledge, pressing my body as close to the cliff as I could. I emerged onto a larger rocky outcropping which was normally hidden from view by the water rushing past it. In front of me, the entrance to a cave was carved into the cliff.

I whooped exaltedly and spun around to face Seth, who nervously stepped onto the firm rock. A “moonbow” of sorts was visible in the spray behind him.

‘We’ve found it, Seth!’ I rejoiced and embraced him. ‘We’ve found it!’

We had had the good sense to bring our backpacks filled with exploration gear along, so we rummaged in it until we found our flashlights. We switched them on and hastened into the cave.

The cave was only large at first, for soon it narrowed into what was barely a slit. We removed our backpacks and shoved them past in order to continue. It was enough to make anyone claustrophobic, and Seth panicked when he thought he had been stuck.

After following the narrow passage for a few more minutes, we suddenly entered a vast cavern. Glow-worms could be seen across the walls and ceiling, illuminating the cavern. It was a breathtaking vista, as if a million stars had agreed upon inhabiting that tranquil place. Seth and I breathlessly approached the edge, but our zeal was replaced with bewilderment.

Where there was supposed to be a pool, there was naught but a smooth bottom. Evidently, there had been water once, but it was there no longer.

‘I don’t understand,’ I whispered, puzzled. All beauty had suddenly left the cavern.

‘I do.’

My world rocked once more, but that time I did topple over the edge. The bottom was harder than I had originally thought it would be.

I tried to move, but a splitting pain erupted in my head. Trembling, I ignored the agony and flipped over onto my back. My vision was obscured by something scarlet and sticky.

As I was trying to wipe it away, I became aware of a different manner of moisture on my cheek. It was soft and cold.

When I finally succeeded in clearing my vision, I saw that the moisture was coming from the anguished faced above me. Its lips were moving in a bizarre manner, constantly repeating the same shapes. I could not comprehend them.

I did not regard the face or its shapes any further, for I was being lulled to sleep by a divine melody.

It was the angelic sound of trickling water.