Missing Carolina--Chapter 3

MISSING CAROLINA--CHAPTER 3

Terrora moon,
What have you seen?
Bewildered youth,
With pain so keen.

A visitor,
From world unknown,
Will pass this night,
Soaked to the bone.

Harrison Beckman shivered in pain. Where was he? Nancy. The grandkids. Eagle Peak. Rain. It was starting to come back to him. He opened his eyes. A pale moon was just beginning to rise. On his right was the highest waterfall he had ever seen. "Reminds me of Niagara," he thought. Only there wasn't nearly so much water coming over this fall. As he looked he noticed the enormous rock at the foot, water cascading over it. "That's what I climbed over," he thought, and understood why he had been unable to resist the lure of the water coursing over the rock's front face.

Now what? He was supposed to help someone else get home? Was he in Earthwithin? Maybe it was that Placebetween where his boys had been. But the Threshold had looked exactly the same. At least he thought so. But it had been so long. He had to get dried out somehow. The rain had been like the desert compared to this.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud yell and the dull impact of a body hitting the ground. Then there were some crashing noises in the brush, followed by silence.

"Hello," hollered Beckman. "Are you all right?" But the silence continued. Beckman rose to his feet with some difficulty and looked around. The moon was getting brighter and he could make out the tops of the bluffs on both sides of the falls. He was in a sort of natural amphitheater at the end of a narrow gorge. The sounds had come from the right side of the falls, across the creek. "Oh, well--I'm already soaked to the bone anyway," he thought, and decided to cross the creek. Had he stepped back into the pool he would have been in water up to his waist, but by going downstream a few feet he only got his feet wet. Climbing in the direction where he thought the victim might be, he began to stop shivering a little--besides, the weather was quite warm in this new world. Every ten feet or so he stopped to call out again. He was startled when a voice suddenly said at his elbow, "Who are you?"

Harrison Beckman did not know what to say. When he had entered Earthwithin, he had been greeted by an official welcoming party--someone had been expecting him. Even the Stag had seemed to know that he needed help. But if anyone in this world knew he was coming, there was no sign of it yet. He paused for what seemed like forever, and finally replied, "A friend." It didn't seem adequate somehow, and he certainly didn't feel adequate, but what else was there to say?

There was an even longer silence before the other person said, "Are you the night watchman from the powerhouse?"

"No," replied Beckman, adding, "Where's the powerhouse?"

"Down the creek from here," the voice replied, "About a hundred yards--there's a path on the other side."

"Who are you?" demanded Beckman, "And what are you doing here? And while we're at it, where is this place, anyway? What world are we in? And are you all right?"

"I'm fine--just a little sore. I was afraid you were the night watchman, and we're not allowed at the top of the falls. I'm a student at the mines of learning here--Terrora Falls Mines--and this is the only world I know--it's called Earth."

Fuses started blowing in the back of Beckman's brain. "Well," he said, "I can see I've got a lot to learn, but for starters, how about telling me your name?"

"Ben," came the reply. "And what's yours?"

"Harrison--Harrison Beckman. But you can call me Harry. Do you have any idea how I can get dried out?"

There was more silence.

"Hey," said Beckman, "Are you still there?"

"Yes, but where are you really from. I'm just a student here, and you can't stay in my room--I have three roommates. And if you don't have a pass, the night watchman will call the sheriff and have you arrested."

Beckman considered this possibility. He thought for some time before continuing the conversation. Beginning slowly, he said, "You just have to trust me. I've been into another world before. It's called Earthwithin. They told me there that my world was called Worldwithout. And my sons visited a world called Placebetween. A Voice told me today that I was supposed to come here, wherever this is, to help someone who wanted to go home."

Ben stifled a laugh. "I was thinking about going home tonight," he said. "I've only been here two weeks, and I miss Dana really bad."

"Who's Dana--your sister?"

"Well, no--sort of--not exactly--we're not related. She's a special friend. She goes to my dad's Meeting Place. You seem older than me. Are you married?"

"Yes," Beckman replied, and without knowing why added, "Her name is Nancy."

"Could I meet her sometime?"

"Well," replied Beckman slowly, reaching for his handkerchief, which he forgot was wet, "I'm not sure how. She's still in my world--I hope. But isn't there anywhere else we can go to talk? I'd at least like to see who I'm talking to."

"So would I," said the youth. "Let me think for a minute." He pulled himself upright and stepped out into the pale moonlight. Beckman could see that he was very tall and slender. "You don't look like you're from another world."

"Well," said Beckman, "If there's a powerhouse down there..."

"Yes," interrupted Ben, "And there's an electric railroad that ends just beyond the powerhouse."

"This definitely isn't Earthwithin, then," continued Beckman. "They don't have electricity there. And they were amazed at my Twinkies."

"What are Twinkies?" asked Ben.

"Little golden cakes," replied Beckman. "But do you have cars?"

"What is a car?"

"Oboy," said Beckman. "This is a diferent world, all right--sounds like Placebetween, from what my boys said. A car has a gasoline engine in it to make it move, and it will take you anywhere you want to go, if there is a road..."

"We have family coaches," explained Ben. "And half family coaches, and quarter family coaches, and commercial coaches. You have to pedal, except in the commercial coaches they have a team of six or eight pedalers in back. What's gasoline?"

"I think I remember Paul or Dan telling me something about that," responded Beckman, ignoring the question about gasoline. "Have you thought of a place for me to stay yet?"

"In the laundry," said Ben. "It's a huge building with a couple miles of clothesline indoors, and lots of really huge washers that are run off a shaft from the engine house. They used to have a steam engine, but now there's an electric motor. You can borrow one of the laundry uniforms and hang your clothes on the line to dry. If you get down near the boiler they might be dry by morning."

"How are we going to get there?" queried Beckman, "Without being seen?"

"I hadn't thought of that. We could slip through the gate at the powerhouse. It's sort of the gatehouse to the falls. Nobody is supposed to come up here at night, but the gate isn't locked from the inside. We can go through when the night watchman is taking the eleven o'clock readings--but no, that won't work."

"Why not?" demanded Beckman.

"We'd have to walk past all the steels and the post office and administration building. There are other night watchmen, and we'd be sure to be seen. We'll have to go back up Arrow Ridge and sneak down the east slope of the Upper Terraces."

Beckman groaned.

"Come on!" urged Ben. "I forgot that we can't go through the powerhouse anyway because I have to be back in my steel by eleven or I'll get demerits."

"What am I going to eat?" thought Beckman out loud.

"I suppose I can sneak some rolls or something out of the dining hall."

"Wait a minute," said Beckman. "I did bring some sandwiches along this time. Do you have ziplock bags in your world?"

"I'm not sure," said Ben.

"Well, let me check. I think maybe my sandwiches might have survived."

CHAPTER 4

The Mileposters Web site has information and many pictures about this tandem bicycle club, which has made several trips over 300 miles as well as many shorter ones, on bicycles built for two, three, four, and five riders.