Noah's Brick Read online

  Reassured, he formed the Brick back into a heavy bracelet, stepped back inside and looked around. The floor was a wooden deck, and the walls were wooden panels. There was a nearby chamber with a hammock stretched between two hooks. This was definitely a cabin in a ship. But where were the sailors?

  Suddenly someone was standing before him. It was a petite, pretty girl about his own age, with black hair and brown eyes. She wore a heavy blouse and skirt, and solid shoes, as if she had been hiking.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, seeing him. And disappeared.

  But Noah knew what had happened. She had found another Brick, and used it to come here. And backed off when she saw him. Exactly as he would have done if he had encountered her his first time here. In fact he had backed off, even without seeing a person.

  This was another inadvertent explorer, driven by her own curiosity. He knew exactly how that was. They had this wonder in common, this uncertainty about how much of it was real, and so could trust each other as they could no one else. She would be back.

  He waited, unmoving. Sure enough, a few minutes later she reappeared.

  “Hello,” he said before she could react. “I found a Brick, and here I am. Just like you.”

  “Si,” she said.

  Was that her name? “Hello, Si. And I'm Noah.”

  She laughed. “I meant yes. Si is Spanish for yes. My second language, because of my Mexican heritage. I used it without thinking.”

  “Oh. I thought it was your name. I'm sorry.”

  “It will do. I prefer to be anonymous anyway. But what's this about a brick?”

  “This Brick,” he said, holding it up and reverting it to its natural form. “With three holes on one side, and four on the other.” He turned it over so she could see. “It's alien.”

  “I don't have a brick.”

  He was surprised. “Then how did you get in here?”

  “My Bead.” Si held up a stone bead with three holes. No, four holes, as she turned it around.

  “Oh, you changed your Brick!”

  Now she was surprised. “You can change your brick? I thought that was sleight of hand.”

  “Sure. Like this.” He was foolishly happy to show it off, now that he had someone to talk to who would understand. He stretched it out into the bracelet form and put it on.

  “My,” she said, impressed. “I can't do that.”

  “Your bead doesn't change?”

  “Oh, it changes. But not that way.”

  “Then how?”

  “I can make it heavy or light.”

  Noah considered that. Then he got what might be a bright idea. “Si, maybe we can do each other some good.”

  She stiffened visibly. “How?”

  He was taken aback. “Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to.”

  She gazed at him, then relented. “Maybe I misunderstood.”

  “Misunderstood what?”

  “In my family it's the girls who do something good for the men.”

  “Oh, like cooking or sewing?”

  She frowned. “You really don't know, do you?”

  Noah was baffled. “Don't know what?”

  She grimaced. “It's called incest.”

  He stared at her, appalled. “You—suffer—that?”

  She nodded.

  Noah knew he was blushing. “Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know. I had no idea. You—you can't defend yourself?”

  “I don't dare.”

  Noah had no idea how to respond to that, so he returned to his original subject. “What I meant was that we might be able to help each other with our, our bricks or beads. If it worked.”

  She remained guarded. “How?”

  “My Brick can change shape, but it's heavy. If you could make it lighter it would be much easier to wear. If I could change the shape of your Bead, maybe turn it into a ring, you could wear it and not worry about losing it. If such things are even possible.”

  “Let's try. Give me your brick.”

  He handed it to her. She took it and stood there. “You trusted me with it.”

  “Shouldn't I have? You know what it is.”

  “It is said that someone who trusts can usually be trusted.”

  “I guess.” Then he caught her meaning. “You—your trust was betrayed.”

  “Yes. So it's hard for me to trust anyone anymore.” She took a breath. “I guess I'd better tell you. Don't try to touch me. I'm not being mean. It's that I—I react. I scream and fight. I can't help it. I've got a knife and I might use it. I think we can get along, if you stay away from me.”

  “I'll stay away from you,” he agreed. “But maybe we can be friends, if that's possible.”

  “I don't know. I think I'd like it, but I don't know if I can be friends with any boy.”

  “Thanks for warning me. I'll be careful.”

  She focused on the Brick. It didn't seem to change. She handed it back to him. “How's that?”

  He took the Brick—and it rose up high. It was light! “You did it!”

  “Now see what you can do with my bead. Hold out your hand.”

  He held it out, and she dropped the Bead into it, not touching him. He focused on it, and it softened so that he could stretch it with his fingers, and curve it into a crude ring, with three small holes facing out, four in. “Try it,” he said, dropping it into her hand.

  “Oh! That's lovely.” She put it on her middle finger.

  “It may not fit right. I can adjust it, if--”

  “It's fine. Now we know that our items can do more than just change themselves. But I'll bet that they'll work only for the right people.”

  “And only in the way they are designed,” Noah agreed. “Still, it's impressive.”

  “You looked through the hole?”

  “The center hole. It was the only one showing light. And I saw the planet. It led me to this—this tree and this ship.”

  “The center hole? I used the end hole, of the three.”

  “A different hole!” he exclaimed. “Each Brick or Bead must use a different hole to orient.”

  “So there must be others, using other holes.”

  Noah nodded. “There must be.”

  Si looked at her watch. “I'm better get on home before I'm missed. That can be mischief.”

  “Me too. But I'm glad I met you, Si. Will you come here again, another day?”

  “Oh, yes! I thought my Bead was fascinating, but this is more so. There's something appealing about this place; I really like it. I'll come tomorrow at the same time.”

  Noah hesitated. “I—I won't be here then. School got out early today, so I came. Otherwise it would be after five.”

  “Oh. I'm home schooled.” She grimaced. “I'd rather be in school. Mother's in and out, and when she's out--”

  “I understand,” Noah said quickly, though he really didn't. How could she stay there when she was getting molested? “It's not as if I own this place. I just found it a few days ago. Come when you can, and if you stay long enough, I'll be here. So you can avoid me if you want.”

  “No. I would rather have someone to—to share this with. There's something really big happening here, and we're both part of it. Because of the magic, and the feeling. I want to know more. A lot more.”

  “So do I. We could explore it together, maybe.”

  “Yes.” Now she hesitated. “Let's shake hands.”

  “But that's touching.”

  “Here's the thing: you could touch me and I'd freak out. But if I touch you, it's okay. Do you understand?”

  “Not really.”

  “Maybe I can show you. Stand still like a statue.”

  “Okay,” he agreed uncertainly.

  She approached him and laid her hand on his arm. He didn't move. “I'm touching you. You're not touching me.”

  “Oh. Now I see.”

  She removed her hand. “When we shake hands we're touching each other. That's harder for me. But I want to be able to trust you, so I'll do it.”


  “You don't have to.”

  “Yes I do.” She held out her hand.

  Cautiously he extended his own hand. They clasped. He saw her wince, but she squeezed lightly, then withdrew. He could actually see her shirt fluttering with the pounding of her pulse. She had been terrified.

  “Okay,” he said, relieved.

  “You didn't try to pull me in to you for a kiss or anything.”

  This was surely dangerous territory. “I wouldn't do that. I don't mean you're not pretty, or that I wouldn't like to kiss you, but you're—it's not like I really know what to do with a girl anyway.” Was he messing it up? He was attracted to her, and wanted her to like him.

  “I know. You're a good boy. And yet my body doesn't know.”

  “I guess I'd feel the same way, if--” He stalled.

  “You have no experience.”

  “Not that kind. None at all.” He knew he was blushing again.

  Si looked at him with an indefinable expression. “Do you see me as soiled, dirty because of what's happened to me?”

  “No! It's not your fault.”

  “You're nice.”

  He laughed, embarrassed. “I hope so.”

  “I think I like you. I'm going to kiss you.”

  “Si, you don't have to do anything like that! I'd like us to be friends, but that's all.”

  “Is it?”

  He was messing up. “No. I wish you were my girlfriend.” Would that make her mad?

  “Put your hands behind you and don't move. Be a statue again.”

  Was she actually going to do it? Noah obeyed.

  She moved close, and he smelled the alluring girl-scent of her. Then she put her face to his and kissed him gently on the lips.

  And just like that he had a ferocious crush on her.

  She stepped back. “All done.”

  “Oh, Si, I—I don't know what to say.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “Yes!”

  “So did I. Maybe we'll do it again sometime.”

  Noah couldn't think of anything relevant to say, so he moved on. “Well, goodbye, I guess.” He sounded stupid, even to himself.

  “Bye,” she agreed, and popped out before him.

  He left the tree, bemused. He hardly knew Si, and their association had been awkward, but already he liked her better than any girl he knew. That kiss! It was as if a wonderful soft air bag had gone off in his face in the middle of a crash, shaking him to his core.

  Why had she done it? Did he dare think it was because she really liked him and wanted him to like her? Or was it simply that he was the first innocent boy she had encountered, so she was stealing some of his innocence?

  Or did she have some other agenda? How could he be sure that anything she had told him about her personal situation was true? Or did that even matter?

  She remained on his mind as he forged homeward. He had no sensible answers, but he did want to meet her again. It was easiest just to assume that she was telling the truth. Certainly he did not want to quarrel with her, and lose her before he ever got her. Whatever she was, she was a fellow traveler, because of her Bead.

  Back home he did not remove the Brick, which now resembled a very light bracelet. He was afraid it would revert if he set it aside, becoming a dull heavy block. Also, Si had touched it and changed it, and that made it precious in another way. He put on a long-sleeved shirt to conceal it.

  The night and day passed in an emotional haze. Fortunately no one noticed. He might have been annoyed by this indication of his unimportance, but at the moment his emotion was tied up in the girl he hardly knew, Si. And the mystery of the Brick and Bead. And the tree that just might be a ship. His dull life had suddenly become mind-bendingly challenging.

  That evening he went to the gate, closed it with the regular brick, then ran to the tree. He burst inside, panting.

  Si was there. “You came,” she said.

  “You stayed!”

  “Yes. I wanted to—to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn't have done what I did.”

  The Kiss. “Oh, don't!” he said. “I loved it.”

  “That's why I have to apologize. I dared myself to do something foolish. I want to be your friend, not your girlfriend. I don't think I could be anybody's girlfriend. I gave you the wrong idea.”

  Noah would gladly have settled for girlfriend, but knew better than to say so. She had made clear that this was not to be. “Anything you want, it's okay with me.”

  “I want to figure out what this place is. I don't know anything about it, but I love it. It's like a ship.”

  “Yes, I think so too.” He hesitated. “There's something about it. I think it makes people like it, if that's not nonsense.”

  “I feel that too. And your name is Noah. Maybe it's the Ark.”

  “It's coincidence.” Then he realized it was a joke, but it was too late to laugh.

  “I guess maybe you get teased about your name.”

  “Some.”

  “I looked around some. There's a sort of refrigerator in the nearest chamber, and it's got food in it. In fact all of them have fridges.”

  “What, hardtack?”

  “No, regular fruits and vegetables and things. I ate a plum and it was fine. But it's odd.”

  “Odd?”

  “Let me show you.”

  They went to the device, which was in a corner of the room. Sure enough, it was filled with distressingly wholesome things. “Someone must have been here recently, to stock it,” Noah said.

  “I'm not sure of that. Do you like hot soup?”

  “Most kinds.”

  She lifted out a bowl. “Sip this. There's no spoon.”

  He hadn't been fooling about doing anything she wanted. He lifted the bowl carefully and sipped. Not only was the soup quite tasty, it was hot.

  Noah came to a screeching mental halt. “I thought this was a fridge!”

  “Do you like cold cheese?”

  “I guess.”

  She brought out a chunk of cheese and dropped it into his hand. He tried it. It was delicious, but also-- “It's cold!”

  “From the same box,” she agreed. “Put them back in; they'll keep their temperatures. I've been experimenting.

  “But that's impossible!”

  “So are Bricks or Beads with three holes on one side and four on the other.”

  Noah considered that, and nodded. “Si, your kiss floored me. But this is bigger than that. This must be an alien ship.”

  “That was my thought. But why is it hidden in a tree, and stocked for humans? With Bricks and Beads to lead us to it? I can't make sense of it.”

  “Me neither. Maybe we need to look around more. Maybe there's an answer.”

  “Do you want me to kiss you again?”

  Was she teasing him? “What has that got to do with this?”

  “You didn't answer.”

  “Why did you change the subject?”

  She considered briefly. “Okay, I'll answer you, then you can answer me. This thing, whatever it is, is big. There could be danger. We have to explore it, but I don't dare do it alone. I want to be sure you're with me. So how you feel about me makes a difference.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes to which?”

  “To everything. We need to find out more, and if you kissed me a million times it might not be enough.”

  She froze. “You like me that well?”

  He remembered her warning. Maybe she didn't like to be touched verbally either. “I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to come on to you. I just--” He spread his hands. “I'm sorry.”

  She didn't smile. “I may have to come here to stay.”

  This threw him for another loop. “Why?”

  “I can't stand to have him touch me any more. But if I fight him off, he'll beat me and maybe even kill me. I've got to get away. This is the only place I know where I can maybe be safe. Is it okay with you if I come here?”

  “Oh, Si, yes! I'll stay away so you can have it to yourself.�
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  “No, I don't want to be alone here. I want you with me. Only--”

  “No touching.”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “I promised you a kiss, if you still want it.”

  “Oh, yes! But you don't have to do it.”

  “I actually want to. You're the first boy I ever wanted to kiss. My way.”

  “Okay, then.” He put his hands behind his back, and she kissed him. He almost floated.

  She stepped back. “Now I have to go get my things.”

  “I'll help you move.”

  “Thank you! I don't have much, but toting it here will be a chore.”

  “We can do it now. But I don't think our Bricks go to the same place.”

  “Maybe if we're touching, they will.”

  “We can try it,” he agreed. “Come with me, and that will show you how close you are to your place.”

  “Yes.” She laid her hand on his arm.

  “Here goes.” He stepped back, willing them to be out of the tree. It worked; she remained with him.

  “Oh!” She let go of him and looked around, troubled.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “This doesn't look like New Mexico.”

  “New Mexico'! This is Vermont.”

  “But I live in New Mexico.”

  He stared at her. “I think we just found out something else about the Bricks.”

  “Instant matter transmission?” she asked, awed.

  “They really don't go to the same place.”

  “They don't,” she agreed.

  “Let's get back inside. I think maybe we've got some more deciding to do.”

  “We do,” she agreed again.

  She put her hand back on his arm, and they stepped back into the tree.

  “I always feel so great when I come here,” Noah said. “I think there's something in the air.”

  “I feel it too. That's another reason I want to come here.”

  “Okay, let's go to your state. I'll wait outside, hidden, and you can bring things out, and we'll both carry them. Once you're safely moved in here, I'll have to go home. But you'll be safe.”

  “I'm going to kiss you a third time.”

  He laughed. “Don't make me too dizzy to carry anything.”

  She kissed him before he even got his hands behind him. He liked that.

  Ark

  This time Si put her hand on Noah's arm, but activated her own Bead. It worked; in a moment they were standing in a completely different forest. It was lighter here, because it was in a later time zone. Further proof of their jump of thousands of miles. This was New Mexico.