Oracle--Solar Wind Page 19

  “Let it be known,” Leo concluded with all boldness, stepping away from the counsel tables to address everyone in attendance, “that I am an enemy of all drunkenness—that I lend my voice to the cause of personal responsibility. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a good reason why anyone should ever drink alcohol. There is only evidence against it—evidence which grows more heinous and bloody with every person killed, every liver poisoned, every child abused, every baby defected, and every life scarred. These are the terrible realities of our world’s chemically-induced fantasies. How long will we allow our selfish hearts to keep us blind to an evil that is so fundamentally false?”

  “Let’s get a grip, not a glass. Let’s rise above the letter of the law and embrace the spirit of it. Let’s give three cheers for no more booze. Let’s get our buzz from selfless service, not selfish striving. Let’s get over being under the influence of alcohol and start being an influence for good.” Then, turning to face the judge, Leo finished, “Your honor, I rest my case.”

  No one stood taller in that courtroom than the little lawyer named Leonard Swain. The case he presented before the jury was the product of seventeen years of pain and sorrow. The boy had been born an orphan, cradled in crisis, and raised without regard. He sought no vengeance on the drunk who drove his parents to their death. It was not that person’s fault; the tragedy had been unintentional. The blame, therefore, belonged less to the body behind the wheel and more to the influence steering the body. And so, before the boy could yet speak, Leo had it in him to make known the evil energy of inebriation and be an outspoken voice against any use of the mind-controlling substance known as alcohol.

  A screech filled the courtroom as Dusty pushed back his chair. Wiping the tears from his face, he stood with newfound resolve and grabbed the glass of beer. With the jury watching raptly, Dusty strode over to the wall where there was a large window. He pushed the window open, held out the glass, and turned it upside-down. Out flowed the conspiring fluid—with all its influences, changes, energies, and hidden powers—reduced to a pathetic puddle on the ground below.

  When Dusty turned around holding the drained glass, the courtroom erupted in applause. But Dusty didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he hurried across the room and gently fell on Missy, embracing her as best he could.

  “I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

  Missy, who could hardly move or smile, did the only thing that didn’t require movement: she wept.

  With one accord, the jury bypassed deliberations and made their unanimous decision. The first one out of the jury box grabbed the bottle of alcohol and traced Dusty’s steps to the window. He dumped out a sampling and then handed the bottle to the next friend. One by one, the friends each poured some out until it, too, was drained. Then they willingly went to the plaintiff’s table and made amends.

  From up on the bench, the black-robed and white-wigged judge looked over the happy proceedings with a grand smile. One of Mr. Coy’s favorite things to do was make bad men good and good men better. His delight was in taking broken things and fixing them. The only constant in his life was the change he instilled in other lives—never by force but always by love. It was not Mr. Coy’s way to condemn people but rather to persuade them to change for themselves. Such was the case today: Dusty had passed sentence on himself.

  With great joy, Mr. Coy watched the group mingle together, a smile on every face. After Thorne hugged his son, the bailiff looked up at the judge, and the two exchanged victorious nods. When Pauline glanced Coy’s way, she gave him an appreciative grin, as if the two had never been at odds before. Ana gave him a thumbs-up, and Paige put up a dainty wave. Leo, now swarmed by former foes, managed to catch Coy’s eye as the judge winked at him with pride. There was only one person missing.

  Suddenly, amid all the jubilation, the large double doors at the back of the room burst open, and a strong wind rushed into the courtroom. A hush fell over the merriment as everyone turned to see who was making their belated entrance. It was a young man, his clothes dirty and face unshaven. He looked tired and gaunt, like he had just traveled across a continent and back.

  The on-looking crowd stared searchingly at this unknown person—some with confusion, others with fear. There was one among them, however, who recognized the stranger instantly. With a mixture of relief and elation, Paige yelled, “Ret!”

  CHAPTER 16

  MISS UNDERSTANDING

  As Ret came striding down the center aisle of the courtroom, there were only two people who rushed toward him: father and daughter Coy. With pure joy on her face, Paige hastened to embrace her long-lost love. Mr. Coy, however, was hurrying not to greet Ret but to restrain Paige. The moment he had seen Ret, Mr. Coy sprang from his leather chair in alarm and hurried down the judge’s bench, throwing off the wig and robe of his costume as he chased after his daughter. Paige hadn’t made it to the first row of the gallery when she felt Mr. Coy’s firm hand grasp her shoulder from behind. Surprised, she stopped and looked back at her father, whose wary expression begged her to obey him.

  There was visible eagerness to Ret’s march, as if he had exciting news to share. His zeal waned, however, when he saw the Coys come to an abrupt halt. The worry that washed over their faces splashed some on his own. His pace quickly diminished until he stopped a few steps in front of them.

  It required every last shred of Paige’s self-control to remain at Mr. Coy’s side and not in Ret’s arms, which was a shame because there was something about Ret’s disheveled appearance that made her heart swoon like never before. It was a rugged sort of handsomeness, amplified by seeing him for the first time in months. His hair—once blond, now bronze—was getting long, and a scruffy beard half-covered his face. His clothes, which seemed to hang more loosely on him than Paige remembered, were dusty and dirty. Wherever he had gone, he had obviously spent a fair amount of time outdoors, judging by the ever-darkening tint of his skin. And was that ash on his shirt? He seemed older, wiser, more mature. All she wanted to do for the next few hours was sit with him and listen to him talk about his recent travels and experiences. The two of them had so much time to catch up on.

  “Hello, Ret,” Mr. Coy said flatly, a thick awkwardness in the air.

  “Hi,” Ret replied, feeling a little uncomfortable.

  “Where have you been all this time?” Coy asked.

  “Lots of places,” Ret answered, “but mostly way up north in Canada somewhere.”

  “As far north as the Arctic?” Coy wondered. Paige noticed an unusual amount of suspicion in her father’s pointed questions.

  “Uh, maybe,” Ret reasoned. “I’m not sure where I was exactly.” Then, confused by the way the conversation was going, Ret asked, “Why?”

  “I’ve also been ‘way up north’ recently,” Coy told him, “and while I was there, I saw you.”

  “Really?” Ret lit up at the coincidence. “You should’ve said hi—we could’ve hung out!”

  “I wanted to,” said Coy, “but you were with Lye.” Paige stared at her father in shock. From behind, Pauline and Ana looked on with similar disbelief.

  “So you saw me save Stone after Lye blew up the trailer?” Ret wondered.

  “What?” Coy returned. “Stone? The trailer?”

  “Then what did you see?” Ret asked.

  “I saw you at the North Pole,” Coy said. “You were cooperating with Lye, helping him do something.”

  Now it was Ret’s turn to ask, “What? The North Pole? I’m pretty sure I didn’t go that far north. And I was fighting against Lye, not cooperating with him.”

  “Well, I saw you with my own eyes, Ret,” Coy reaffirmed. “I saw it all: you, Lye, the dog sled—”

  “What are you talking about?” said Ret, almost with a chuckle at such a ridiculous story. “Are you sure this wasn’t a dream you had or something?”

  “Thorne was there with me—weren’t you, Thorne?” Coy persisted, glancing back at the bailiff. “You saw Ret, didn’t you?” />
  A little startled from being put on the spot, Thorne nevertheless witnessed, “I—I did.”

  “Well, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong,” Ret denied with a laugh. “You’re both wrong.”

  “I wish I was,” Coy admitted, “but I know what I saw. And didn’t you just say you were with Lye—something about Stone and a trailer?”

  “That’s right,” Ret said with sudden excitement. “Get this: Stone quit working for Lye.” The happy headline didn’t have its intended effect. When Coy’s face revealed he wasn’t buying it, Ret added, “It’s true. Stone cut his ties—cold turkey. Then he went into exile. That’s when he and I crossed paths. He rescued me—took me in and cared for me when I was lost. Stone has changed. He’s a good man. Did you know he was actually the one who called off those—”

  “Stone, a good man?” Coy balked. “Do you hear yourself, Ret?”

  “Yes, it’s true,” Ret avowed. “And when Lye found us up there (I don’t know how he did), he was angry with Stone, so he murdered Virginia.” Breaths of dismay escaped the lips of several audience members. “Stone is a changed man—believe me. He could use our love and support right now, especially from you, Mr. Coy. And he also knows what really happened to your—”

  “And how do we know you’re not just making all of this up?” Coy questioned, now even more suspicious on account of the sob story.

  “I can prove it,” Ret promised, much to everyone’s surprise. Then, turning around, he yelled, “Stone! Come in here, will you?”

  Upon hearing such words, Pauline instinctively pulled Ana in close. With unbridled suspicion, Mr. Coy looked past Ret at a person’s shadow that was on the floor just outside the courtroom’s double doors. A few seconds later, the figure of a man appeared from around the corner, so sluggishly that it was like watching it happen in slow-motion. Sure enough, there was their neighborhood foe, Lester W. Stone. With no sense of urgency, the old principal staggered into the room, his head hanging down as low as his neck would allow. He came just far enough to be inside, then leaned against the wall and slid to take a seat on the ground.

  Coy was outraged to learn Ret had brought Stone onto the premises of the Manor.

  “What is he doing here?” Coy fumed.

  “I brought him here,” Ret replied innocently.

  “Why would you do a thing like that?”

  “Because he’s my friend,” Ret said matter-of-factly.

  “What are you talking about, Ret?” Coy asked sincerely, totally bewildered by what he was hearing. “What’s happened to you?”

  “Dad!” Paige snapped.

  “He just brought Stone into our home,” Coy rebutted. “Stone—our common enemy!”

  “But this is Ret!” Paige pled.

  “I know it’s Ret,” he said defensively. “It’s the same Ret who Thorne and I saw standing on the ice that day in the Arctic, working with Lye. I didn’t want to believe it, but I can’t deny what I saw.”

  “But Ret said that isn’t true,” Paige reminded him.

  “Maybe that’s precisely what Lye wants him to say,” Mr. Coy suggested. “Don’t you see? Doesn’t this look suspicious to anyone else? This could all be part of Lye’s scheme: send Ret back to the Manor with Stone, think up some pitiful story to win us over, and then ransack us from head to toe. I wouldn’t be surprised if next Ret asks me to give him the Oracle!”

  “This isn’t some story we made up,” Ret retaliated, upset by Coy’s insensitivity for the bereft man at the back of the room. “It’s the truth. I saw it with—”

  “—With your own eyes?” Coy smirked, hearing his own words from earlier.

  Ret was dumbfounded by the welcome he was receiving. He had returned to the Manor with enthusiasm, anxious to tell everyone where he had been and what he had learned: the fourth scar, his new powers, the Northern Lights, Stone’s repentance, the truth about Helen’s death. He couldn’t wait to announce where the next element was and then embark on another adventure together. But Ret’s high hopes were dashed in an instant. Now, it felt like he and Mr. Coy were opponents.

  “Why don’t you believe me?” Ret asked sincerely. “Why are you attacking me like this?”

  “Because, Ret, I know what I saw,” Coy said.

  “I told you,” Ret insisted, “that wasn’t me!”

  “Then who was it?” Coy shot back. “A clone? Was it a mirage that Thorne and I saw? A figment of our imagination? Has Lye brainwashed you like he did Jaret? Hmm? And why did Lye chase after us so zealously once we saw you two together? He was obviously trying to hide something.”

  “Look, I don’t know what you saw,” Ret stated calmly, “but whatever it was, it wasn’t real. I’m not working for Lye, I promise. Please, you’ve got to believe me. I know what I’m doing. There’s so much I could tell you—so much we need to do. Please, trust me.”

  “I’d really like to, Ret,” Coy lamented, “but for the sake of our safety and security, I’m afraid I can’t right now.” When Ret shook his head, Coy expounded, “Look around, Ret. All of these people here depend on me and my sound judgment. I’m unsure of your motives right now, and, given the present circumstances,” Coy glanced again at Stone, “you might be putting us all in danger. Try to understand where I’m coming from.”

  Ret took a deep, unsatisfied breath and exhaled.

  “Just give me some time,” Coy petitioned. “Hopefully, once the dust settles, we’ll both be able to see things with much clearer vision. In the meantime, however, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  Even though Mr. Coy’s indictments were valid in theory, they were completely false in reality. He was, of course, telling the truth about what he saw that day on the Arctic Ocean. His confusion, therefore, came not from what had been seen but from what had been unseen. He had no idea that the Ret he saw wasn’t the real Ret but rather Lye’s crude clone. And so, it was the seen without the unseen that had caused Mr. Coy’s misunderstanding. But how does someone see an unseen thing? Is it even possible?

  Of course it’s possible, Ret would tell you. For months now, he had been seeing marvelous things that had previously been unseen, not because the things themselves had changed but because he himself had changed. Like a pencil’s point being constantly sharpened or a microscope’s lens being continually focused, a recurring refinement had taken place within Ret’s mind and heart that granted him the capacity to see the more refined features of the world. So yes, the unseen can most certainly be seen but, as its name implies, usually has very little to do with what we can see.

  Ret peered across the room at Pauline and Ana. They were staring back at him with belief—not distrust—in their eyes. They looked like they would run to him if it weren’t for the iron-fisted judge in their way.

  Then Ret’s eyes fell on Paige. Her joy had succumbed to disaster. She was pitted against the respect she owed her father and the love and trust she felt toward Ret. Her mind was in one place, her heart a few steps away.

  Adjourning the case with one final comment, Ret stared Mr. Coy unabashedly in the eyes and used the man’s recent phrase to tell him, “‘Clearer vision,’ sir, comes with eyes closed and heart open.” Then Ret turned around and strode out of the room.

  “Come on, Stone,” Ret mumbled caringly as he passed by the mourner on the floor.

  Stone slowly rose to his feet, then stopped in the entryway and glanced back at Mr. Coy. With a face drowned in grief, he spoke a simple, “I’m sorry.”

  “Nice try, Stone,” Coy returned without affection. He assumed Stone’s heartfelt apology was yet continuation of the pretended scenario that was part of Lye’s botched scheme to take advantage of the Manor. In reality, however, it was an overdue expression of earnest regret for an unrelated tragedy that had happened years ago, spoken from one widower to another.

  Misunderstood, Stone turned and dragged himself after Ret.

  Paige burst into tears and tore herself from her father’s side. She ran out of the room and out of sight. Knowi
ng her friend was retreating to her room, Ana followed after her to offer consolation.

  The audience began to shuffle out. The remaining court staff went their separate ways. Within minutes, Mr. Coy found himself completely alone.

  ** ***

  Paige awoke before sunrise the next morning. It was Saturday, and, for the first time in months, she knew where Ret would be. Without waking anyone, she snuck out of the Manor and crossed the creek, heading for a certain spot on the southern tip of Tybee’s beach.

  He was right where she thought he would be, sitting in his hand-made hollow in the sand. His favorite nook was in a state of disrepair these days, having been neglected for many months and washed out by high tides. But Paige knew that was one thing Ret admired about the elements: they always win in the end.

  “Got room for one more?” Paige teased.

  “Only if that one is you,” Ret smiled, scooting over.

  Snuggling next to him, she said, “How’d I know I’d find you here?”

  “Where else would I go?” Ret joked. “Lye destroyed my house, and your dad kicked me out of his.”

  “Ret, I’m so sorry—”

  “It’s alright,” Ret told her.

  “You mean you’re not angry?”

  Ret laughed, “You know I don’t get angry.”

  “Yeah, I know,” said Paige, “but still. I don’t know what’s come over Dad.”

  “I’m not sure what he saw exactly,” Ret iterated, “but it wasn’t me. It’s probably just more of Lye’s mischief.”

  “Well, I believe you,” Paige pledged.

  “I know,” Ret beamed, reaching to hold her hand.

  “So, when are you going to tell me about your trip?” Paige asked with interest.