Chapter 6: Sar'ha

I sat down in my library, how could they do that to us? Even my own father lied to me, and I couldn't accuse him face to face. It was so annoying.

I didn't look as I picked up a scroll, I opened it roughly. 'There is a reason why these were hidden, only a few can be trusted to use the black scrolls safely, find someone you can talk to without being judgemental' I looked at the colour, it was a grey scroll.

Even without thinking I avoided a Black Scroll; I'd been conditioned not to touch them. So let's see if I can be trusted. I reached for a scroll, hesitated before my fingers touched it and so I forced myself to pick it up.

Again I didn't burst into flames.

Still I didn't feel ill.

I opened the scroll and read it.

My eyes didn't fill with blood and I felt unchanged, the spell was the one Chris found about drawing power from external sources, as I read the spell I could see how it worked and what the limitations were involved with the spell.

I felt a message from Chris, he'd just brushed off my existence as one of his characters in the programme he'd created, I smiled at that and said, "I don't mind, we have to keep me secret," and sent back my love to him ... My love? Just what did I mean by that?

I had spent nearly a month within the man and I was only now realising how I felt about him, he was honest, I've found him to be caring and there were aspects of him that I responded to. So did this mean that I love him?

I went to another black scroll and read it, moving to the next one increasing my knowledge, I don't know how long I spent in my library and then I found it ... the spell that sent me here.

It wasn't exactly the spell, I could see where Sop'ha had gone wrong, two words mispronounced and the hand gesture was backwards. The spell was to send a body away from the caster, as a defence spell, but the way Sop'ha had spoken it forced my spirit away from my body and into the void. But how had she found the spell? Why did she use it?

I became so distraught that the library dissolved from me and I was left to myself. I had nobody to turn to, nobody? I felt despair and called out "CHRIS"

At first I was in a room, spartanly dressed with just chairs, bed and wardrobe, Chris was seated on the bed and I was standing in the room, I couldn't help myself and started to cry "They lied to me." I told him.

Immediately the scene changed and we were together in an open field, somehow my mood was reflected in the sky as it was dark and overcast. Chris enveloped me in his arms, "They may have lied, but you're here with me and you're safe here." He told me and kissed me.

I held onto him, going on about the grey scrolls and what they said and then how I found the black scroll and the spell on it. "You s ... see, my father was hiding this from m ... me." I stuttered out but Chris shook his head.

"He wasn't hiding it from you, but from all the other adepts as well, you said the grey scroll said only a few were worthy to read the scrolls, you've been elevated to that level. His only failing was miscopying of the black scroll for your sister to read; he could have been in a hurry and so didn't hide it where it was safe.

"Sop'ha probably looked for some spell to help protect her and when you were attacking her with a spell she cast that one, but the miscasting was predicted that's if your scroll is right, you were sent out to find this stranger the one to help your world," He gave a laugh, "what if I was the stranger you have to find? Now wouldn't that be something?" He added.

But I wasn't laughing; Chris was becoming something more than a master of the Art, nobody I knew could affect the world as he could, not even my father.

Chris saw the look on my face and he stiffened, "You can't be serious! I'm just a normal person, how can I be this stranger that you're scrolls talk of? I'm not even of your world. I'm sorry Sar'ha but you're wrong ... you have to be wrong." He said his face going white.

I held onto him, "But Chris you are the most powerful practitioner that I know of. If I could take you back home just think how you'd be treated there."

He nodded and grabbed hold of my arms, "Yes, just think. I'm in this hospital trying to prove that I'm not mad, when, I mean if, I arrive on your world they would lock me or kill me as a danger to their safe little world." He said and deep down I knew he was right, as powerful a mage as he now was would mean he'd be in great danger.

Then Chris stiffened, "I'm being called gotta go," he paused and smiled, "care to come along?" he said with a smile.

I nodded, I felt happier when I was with him somehow. "Yes, I would." I said and we vanished from the plain.

I was standing beside Chris' bed and there was a man in the door of the room. "Mr. Beaker, it's time for dinner." He said.

Chris yawned and stretched on the bed as if waking up, "Thank you nurse ... look it's daft to just call you nurse, what is your name?" He asked.

The man looked slightly surprised, "I'm Jeff, Mr. Beaker." He responded.

"Good evening Jeff, my name is Chris, I think Mr. Beaker is either my father or a Sesame Street character, and I'm not a puppet." He said with a smile which was reflected in Jeff's face.

"Good evening Chris, its dinner time and you're supposed to eat with the other patients in the dining room." He said standing back from the door to allow Chris to pass. I followed with them into a large room further down the corridor.

"We didn't know what you'd prefer, normally we have a menu for you to make your daily choice from, and so we've gone for roast beef. I hope that's alright?" Jeff said as he removed a plate from a heated trolley.

"That's fine Jeff; I haven't had anything to eat since this morning." Chris said as he accepted the plate and picked up a knife and fork. I looked around as Chris was eating, there were more members of staff visible now and they were watching the patients eat, as if expecting trouble.

I did notice a young man, was looking towards me, I thought he might have been looking at a picture behind me but then he spoke up, "Pretty lady." He said, I moved away from Chris but the man's head turned to follow me, he could see me. "Pretty lady." He repeated.

A nurse in a white uniform went to the man, "Now Keith, don't make a fuss and eat your dinner." She said and Keith nodded his head, moving the food to his mouth, but he still kept his eyes on me as I walked around. I placed a finger on my mouth to tell him to keep quiet; he nodded his head and went on eating.

"Hey you, new one. What's your name?" A woman called from another table.

Chris looked up, "I'm Chris, what's your name." He said in a friendly tone.

"I'm Rachael, why did they lock you up here with us loony's?" Rachael asked making a few of the other patients shake their heads.

"I came in freely; it's up to these people to decide if I should stay here." Chris said indicating the nursing staff.

Rachael laughed, "Hell son, they don't know squat. I was supposed to be here for two days, that was months ago." She said keeping her eye on Chris.

Chris didn't rise to the bait, he had other plans I knew. "Well, we'll see won't we? You never know Rachael; they might let you out soon." He said, I walked around to where Rachael was sitting, she was writing notes with her left hand. She was making notes on Chris! I made a sign of writing to Chris from behind her.

Chris gave a small nod and spoke a phrase; it sounded like the revealing spell but slightly altered. Chris gave a laugh and spoke out loud, "Rachael? It's d-e-c-e-i-v-i-n-g, remember 'i before e except after c'" He said and went back to eating.

Rachael looked at her notepad and then back at Chris, she shook her head but respelt the word as he had dictated.

After dinner the patients were allowed to watch the evening news on the television, during the programme something came up that made Chris laugh.

The newsreader had passed to a local reporter who was standing in a shopping area; it was like the one that we had been in earlier. "Yes Sophie, we've been receiving reports of strange happenings in Bath town centre, people riding bicycles have been reporting their bikes dissolving from beneath them, the only exceptions being children under 12 who appear to be spared..." The scene changed to some youths surrounding a camera crew.

"Yeah, well it's not right, all we was doing was riding our [bleep] bikes and somebody [bleep] sprayed them, well it must have been since the bikes just went to [bleep, bleep] rust, I nearly broke my [bleep] foot as I fell ... well yeah I know cycles ain't allowed around here but they can't [bleep] do anything about it can they ... I fink the cops should look into this and arrest them [bleep] that is doing this." The camera changed back to the reporter.

"We've spoken to the police who have been taking the remains of the bikes for examination, the main question is why only the bikes were affected and nothing else, but the one thing that is certain is that someone is acting against people who are illegally riding their bikes within the city centre ... Sophie?"

The scene changed back to the studio, "Thank you Roger for that report ... onto other news, the missing man, Chris Beaker, has raised a few more questions at first he was supposed to be under arrest and in Bath police station, then he wasn't and then he was released? Just what is going on in this most baffling case, we managed to contact the officer in charge of the case, Detective Inspector O'Neil. Inspector O'Neil can you shed any light on this?"

The screen showed O'Neil's face as he was asked this, "Well Sophie there was a slight mix up with the computer files during this time and we couldn't really be sure who was where, we managed to find Mr. Beaker and he is currently being treated at Bath's Hillview Lodge, to assess his mental state." He said confidently.

Sophie nodded, "I see, so the report that he voluntarily entered the facility is false? A report from his solicitor said that he went there after being removed from police custody and that possible action is being considered against the police for the treatment that Mr. Beaker had suffered at their hands, what do you say about that report?"

"I can only report the facts of the case, I cannot comment on factors outside of that." O'Neil said but his face showed other feelings.

I saw Jeff walking up to Chris and whispering something in his ear, Chris nodded and got up from his seat, I followed him passing Keith as I did so, Keith moved his hand to touch mine but of course it went straight through my body, "pretty lady, ghost." Keith said in a low voice and then went back to watching the television.

As we walked along the corridor I looked at Chris, "Keith can see me; I know I have to do something to help him."

I felt Chris' answer in my head, "Let's see why he's here first before we do anything," he said, "I'm more interested in why I have to see this person first."

We were shown into a doctor's office and the nurse left the room so that we were alone. The desk was cleared of anything and all the surrounding cupboards and drawers were locked. No we didn't even try them, it was obvious that the people here wouldn't leave such places open to the patients.

The door opened and Rachael walked in she looked at Chris and gave a smile, "Okay Mr. Beaker just how the hell did you see what I was writing?" She asked without preamble.

Chris smiled, "Well Doctor Rachael, I thought you were checking on my state of mind by having to eat with some people who might be unstable. I just couldn't resist it when I saw your mistake." He said.

Rachael sat behind the desk and, using a key, opened a drawer and took out the notepad she had been writing on. "You didn't answer my question. How did you see what I was writing?" She persisted.

Chris smiled, "It's an old illusionist's trick, you see what the top of the pen is doing and you can work out what is being written - I had to show off and make a comment. That's the whole answer."

Rachael made another note on the pad and then looked up, "So you're saying it's all a trick? You saw the top of my pen and you worked it all out from there ... Bullshit! You couldn't see the top of my pen from where you were, and even if you could you can't tell individual letters, just the general shapes. The trick you described is mainly for when people make shapes on a pad. I've seen the show as well. There was no mirror behind me for you to make out the words either." She looked at Chris and raised her eyebrows.

"So then what was it? Magic? A mind reading act? Or none of the above?" Chris said laughing.

"Maybe a bit of all three," Rachael said, "why did you agree to come here Mr. Beaker? Is it all part of a publicity stunt?" She asked.

Chris shook his head, "No, I've already given my story to the news people, I had a disagreement with a psychiatrist back home and she's made up the story that I'm a dangerous person, I'm really here to have tests done to prove that I'm not! I can't help showing off that's all. By the way what's the story with Keith?"

Rachael shook her head, "I'm sorry but I can't talk about the patients here, why are you so interested in Keith anyway?"

Chris looked at me as if looking around the room, "I'm just interested in him, I've never met him before today and for some reason he arouses my curiosity." Chris answered.

Rachael thought for a moment before speaking, "Keith has a few difficulties, his mind cannot pass on what it knows also he keeps on seeing things, some of them makes him anxious and so he has to be watched, he should be on a secure ward but the mental health act meant that the hospital ward he should have been on has closed, and so he's here." She finally said.

"Can he be cured?" Chris asked her.

Rachael shook her head, "There is nothing that medical science can do for him, except just keep him safe and secure."

"You need to have an open mind Rachael. Have you seen the news recently?" Chris said as if changing the subject.

"You mean about you? The police don't like to admit they've been bamboozled, and I think O'Neil is digging his own grave." Rachael said.

Chris smiled, "It's better than you think, he was the one who gave the order for the train not to stop at Bath." Chris said.

"And who concocted the story about terrorists?" Rachael asked.

"All I did was to say to anyone who would listen that there might be problems, it was the other people invented the story." Chris said blandly.