I explained the history of Orpheus and the Orpheus Guild and when I got the end of that, stopped and said, “That’s all I know.”
This didn’t go over well.
“The ‘how’ is the big thing, here, Estes,” Madeline said. “We’ve got the who and the why, sort of, but HOW?! I mean, I get it, I accept it when I go flying over to the White Room and it’s a reality and plain and true as this reality here, but somebody’s got to know how all this stuff works. And you’re saying you don’t.”
“Nope,” I answered.
“So it has to do with like, matter not being like… solid, you know,” Juli said, “it’s all space between atoms and the only thing the holds them together is the spinning orbits of littler parts of the atoms…” Juli said, moving her head left to right in a slow swerve in the pattern of an eternity symbol.
“Protons and electrons,” Kai said.
“My mom doesn’t even know,” I shrugged. “At least, that’s what she tells me. They gave her the bracelets, and she gave them to me, ‘cause I was chosen to put the band together. And I gave them to you. That’s how it’s always worked.”
“Who’s they?!” Madeline shouted. “Who wants us as a band. I want to meet the booking agent. I really need to know who this Orpheus Guild is who I’m going to be using my finely honed much practiced eight hours a day on the cello for years and years talent for. I’m not giving that up for nothing. And I don’t mean money. Hey, going to a freaky White Room and making pictures and colors out of music is a sweet unbelievable trip and if that was all it was, I’d just go whenever we wanted to and play and shut up, you know? But you’re asking for something else, now.”
“Then maybe we better talk to my Mom,” I said. “Maybe she’ll tell us, because we’re a band now.”
We went upstairs to the kitchen. Mom was outside in the garden, on her knees in the dirt with her tomatoes, but without me calling to her, she turned and looked toward the kitchen windows, saw us there, under the shade of her big straw hat, pushed her red hair behind her ears, got up and walked to the house.
We were all sitting at the kitchen table.
“How’s about lemonade for everyone,” she asked.
“Sure, Julianne,” Madeline said.
“Five glasses, please. Don’t forget me.” I said.
She put a glass in front of each of us, and then took the big glass pitcher out, full of ice and floating lemon slices. We ritualistically filled our glasses, starting with Juli, round the table until it got me. I made sure there was enough left for Mom. She sat down at the head of the table, took off her straw hat, wiped her forehead with a kitchen towel, with Black-eyed Susans decorating it. She sighed.
“Gardening is hard work, let me tell you.”
Nobody said anything.
“I see,” she said. “You have questions. It’s time you got answers.”
“Amen to that,” Kai said.
“And you deserve as much. I’ll do my best.”
Mom took a black, shiny bracelet out of the picket of her jeans, and slipped it onto her wrist.
“The greatest of musicians and poets of ancient times was called Orpheus,” she said, and in front of her appeared the image of a handsome Greek god, with long flowing golden brown hair, holding a lyre. “He could do amazing things with his music, like lift stones and…”
“Wow, that’s cool, Julianne. Very cool. But, we’ve already seen the trailer,” Juli said. “Well, heard it, from Joshua. So we can skip it, for now.”
“There’s some awesome visuals,” Mom said. “If you just watch for a minute…”
“We’re good. Really.” Madeline said. “We want to know is who’s behind this whole thing.”
“Ahh,” Mom said. “The question.” She took a slight sip of lemonade and put her glass down. “Beyond a story that reads like a myth. We don’t know how the Guild came to be. I’ve seen members of it, I’ve met with them, and they look like you or me, but it’s obvious this technology is beyond us. Especially since the battles have been going all throughout human history.”
“Ancient aliens!” Juli shouted, slapping her hand on the table. “I knew it!”
“And what brought you to that insightful conclusion?” Madeline asked.
“You can observe a lot in the world just by watching,” Juli said.
Mom smiled at her. “We don’t know, honey. Maybe it came out of a world beyond us, a dimension beyond us. Maybe it came from an earlier human history, where this technology existed, and then was destroyed by some sort of cataclysmic event, but a few people held onto it and…”
“Atlantis!” Juli said, jumpy in her chair. “This is sooo awesome.”
“Great. So we’re all part of a really dumb documentary TV series,” Madeline said.
Mom looked around the table with her calm Mom eyes. “Yet, you’ve been to the White Room.”
Everybody quieted.
“And seen its wonders.”
“Yes,” Kai said.
Juli said. “No matter where you go, there you are.”
Madeline laughed.
“Ok, we agree. There we were, and here we are.”
“Whatever the forces were that originated the Orpheus Guild,” Mom said, “that knowledge has unfortunately disappeared, into the fog of the past. We can’t find out any more than we know now, and many, like you here, have tried before, believe me. We know as much as can be known. As much as they want us to know. But what we do know is, why, and what comes next.”
“The battle,” Madeline said.
“Yes, my dear.” Mom gave her a wan smile. “The battle.”