1. a period of five years.
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The old man lead Bill through the cave into a tunnel in the
back. The front of the cave, where the
two first met, is small and sparsely decorated.
A few mats made of goat skin, a fire pit, and some dried herbs. But the tunnel leads to a much different
place. It’s far larger and with much more
going on. The walls glisten with
crystals or various colors. Intricate
patterns are carved on the floor, circles and squares within squares and other,
unidentifiable shapes. In the middle of
all of it is a pit filled with purple liquid.
The liquid gives off a faint light, like someone stuck a bright light
bulb at the bottom of it.
“Are
you sure you want to do this?” The old man asked. “It won’t be easy, and there are no short
cuts.”
“Yeah,
I’m sure.” Bill said. “I mean, I did
come all this way. It’d be a waste to
just give up now.”
“I see.” The old man took a deep breath. A few strands of his thick, white beard shift
as he exhales. “Very well. Remove everything you have on you. Clothes, accessories, everything. Once you’re finished, get in the water.”
“Everything? You sure I can’t leave my—“
“Everything.”
The man said again, more forcefully. “If
you leave any objects on it will cause problems.”
“Okay. What about my fillings? I can’t take those out you know.”
The man
thinks about this for awhile. “I see
your point. Those will be difficult. The
process wasn’t made with such things in mind.
On the one hand, they are in you, at least in part. But on the other…Perhaps it would be best not
to risk that. They’ll have to come out
too.”
Bill
stiffened. That had not been the answer
he had been expecting. He didn’t have
many fillings, but still. They had been
a major pain getting the things in, even with Novocain and a good dentist. Getting them removed by an old man without
proper tools would not be pleasant. Not
to mention the fact that he’d have some sizable holes in his teeth left over
that would make eating an even worse pain.
“Are…are
you sure that’s necessary?”
“No. But best not to take any chances when dealing
with great cosmic forces. Open your
mouth. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt as
much as you think it will. And if you’re
worried about tooth pain, don’t. Hold
some of the water for awhile and it’ll be fine.
Now, open wide.”
Bill
clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth. He felt a small tug on the teeth with
fillings in them. Then there was an odd
feeling in the places as his breath passed over the teeth.
“There
we go, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” The old man asked.
Bill
opened his eyes. The man was holding
three tiny pieces of shaped metal in his hand.
It took Bill a moment to figure out what he was seeing.
“That
was it? Those are my fillings?”
“I told
you it wouldn’t hurt.” The old man said.
“Now then, clothes and jewelry off and into the water with you.”
Bill
hesitated a moment, but complied. The
air in the cave was warmer than he thought it would be, so even devoid of
clothing, he wasn’t cold. He looked again
at the purple water, noting the depth.
From where he stood, it looked to be about two feet deep. He would have to lay down to cover his entire
body.
It was
deeper than it looked. The moment he
stepped into the water, he sank in down to his neck, leaving just his head
exposed. The water was warm, and it make
his skin tingle.
“Okay,
I’m in.” Bill said. “Now what?”
“Now
you stay in there until the water finishes.
Now, you’ll want to drink some of it, and make sure you hold some in
your mouth to deal with those cavities.”
“Got
it. How long do I have to stay in here
for?” Bill assumed it would be a few
hours. Maybe a day. No more than a week for sure.
“Five
years.” The old man said. Bill’s mind
came to a screeching halt.
“I’m
sorry, I must’ve misheard you. It
sounded like you said I’d have to stay in here for five years.”
“I
did. And I meant it. You can’t leave the pool for five years once
you’re in. If you leave now, there will
be problems. Oh, but staying in longer
is fine. In fact, the longer you’re in,
the better. Not only that, but after
five years is up, you can leave and go back in at a later time. Of course, you’ll have to spend another five
years then as well. Every time you exit
and go back in, you’ll have to spend five years in it.”
“And if
I don’t?”
“Bad
things. Trust me, you don’t want to
spend less than five years in there. It is, as you said, a waste of time.”
“How
bad is it?”
“I
heard of one man who spend four years and three months in the pool. He died a month later. Someone who spend two years in there only
lasted a week. The water doesn’t kill
you directly, but the powers running through it find ways of punishing those
who aren’t able to last the full time.”
“Oh. Great.” Bill said. He immediately regretted his decision. “What am I going to do standing here for five
years?”
“Read
and listen. I’ll be handling your
education for the first three years.
After that, you should be able to hear the powers talking to you. They will teach you far more than I can.”
Bill
was silent as he thought about that. He
knew he was here to learn the great powers of the universe, so none of what the
old man was saying was particularly out of place.
“How
long have you stayed in here?” Bill asked.
“I was
in for ten years the first time. I’ve
been in the pool four times in total.
The longest was twelve years.”
“And in
total?”
“Fifty-five
years in total.””
That
couldn’t have been possible. While the
man did look old enough to have spent fifty years doing something, that would
mean he spend most of his life in the purple water. How could anyone tolerate that?
“If you’re
wondering, I’m 246 years old, so fifty-five isn’t all that much.”
“But…but…”
“The
water in that pool has many powers.
Extending one’s life is practically mundane next to what else you’ll be
capable of. Now then, take some time, to
get used to the water. You’ll be in
there for quite awhile, after all. And
don’t worry, the first five years will be over before you know it.”
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Why yes, I did see Dr. Strange recently. Why do you ask? It was a fun movie, but it has nothing to do with this story. Why, the differences are huge. Just because they both feature someone starting a journey towards learning to use great cosmic powers doesn't mean anything. This one has magic water. Totally different.
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