It was like the water was moving inside itself, and then in the depths I saw light spilling out and making its way up, climbing to the surface. The two men pulled the canvas off the carriage and I saw the Head. It was freakishly large … the circus, I thought … big and bald, with ears like funnels sticking out. The Head was black and sat upright atop its slender neck. I only saw the creature from behind. That was enough. Some eyes it’s better not to look into. So that’s a skirvolya … I thought … the ancient Slavic forest creature … they still exist then … standing a few meters in back of the Head, I saw two hands rise from the carriage, the long, powerful hands of a fully grown person. They were bare and ended in claws, thick claws, that sparkled in the greenish light exploding noiselessly up through the water, illuminating us in its glow, the water began to boil, but there was a chill coming off of it, maybe ground streams churning up from below … I looked at my pseudodroogs’ faces, I’d say like me they were trying not to have too many feelings or opinions about what was going on.
We wanted to believe the Head’s power was on our side … Rudolf was smiling haughtily, that reassured me, he was human, so if there was any threat of danger … so what, I said to myself, maybe this power’s too strong for me to escape anyway … the long bare arms went back into the carriage, and then the hands were holding an object, pouring something into the well, a liquid … there was a hissing in the well and the light was right beneath the surface, ready to punch through the lid, break out … then the long arms’ hands were holding an idol, might’ve been made of wood, and flinging it into the well with all their might, I caught a glance of the figurine, it resembled the pair standing by the carriage, motionless, as if switched off.
I just shifted my weight back and forth, wiggling my toes, a habit of mine. Then the clawed hands were holding a book, they opened it up and shred it to pieces, the bits of paper falling into the water.
The water was like the plasma of a thousand bodies lumped together, grasping at the shreds, waves spraying and splashing around, snatching the paper in flight. As the book’s shreds hit the surface, the water closed over them, sucking them in like a huge mouth. The light in the well was energy, I guess, the surface sealed it in like a crust, but the light forced its way up from the depths, trying to break through the wrapper … just beneath the surface it condensed, first pale, then the color of runny silver, it probably would’ve blinded us but for the darkness of the water.
Then the Head poked up again and the creature began to sing … we looked at each other, amazed … the voice was so strong and beautiful, for a moment I doubted whether it really came from the Head, but it did.
The song went straight into the well, you could see it, or sense it, penetrating the surface and disappearing … the water was boiling and now the air was hot, the song bounced off the walls and the vault and tumbled down around our heads. The water in the well squirmed as one body.
I memorized the words to the song:
Holy pools contain mere water.
I know, I have bathed in them.
Gods carved from wood and ivory give no reply.
I know, I have sorely begged them.
Holy books contain naught but words.
I know, I have looked in them.
Kabir speaks only of what he has lived.
What you have not lived is not truth.
The water boiled over and spilled across the edge of the well. I leaped out of the way, but suddenly it turned to mist, and rising out of the seething water I saw … a serpent’s spine, a monster’s veiny tentacle, and up from the depths in a silvery foam climbed two lights glowing like bloody targets, the serpent’s head. In the blink of an eye it shot out of the well and the giant body was wriggling high above our heads, like it had gone right through the vault, like the vault had never been there at all, its spotted hide glistening with scars and sprinkled with warts the size of mushrooms, some of its scales were shiny, others like deep festering wounds, and the sound of hissing filled our ears … lifting my head I saw the serpent’s maw, its eyes no longer glowing but blind, covered with skin, flaps of skin … water sprayed everywhere, but not a drop landed on any of us, maybe we were still in the power of the song, and then the serpent disappeared.
I don’t remember whether back into the well or if I just stopped seeing it. Nor did I hear the murmuring water, the breathing of the Zone, anymore.
And suddenly a cat was perched on the rim of the well, stretching and meowing, it hopped down, followed by a dog, then a squirrel darted past, and other animals too came trodding across the surface, one little doggie leaped up on the railing, scratching furiously behind his ear … the lost dogs were back, along with their fleas, and then all at once a girl came striding across the water, and another one after her, holding her hand …
Don’t move yet, fools! Rudolf screamed. The Head had dropped out of sight and the two men were fastening the canvas over the carriage.
Doctor Hradil’s daughters clambered over the railing: Hi there, Uncle … said one of them, are Mom an Dad around? I took her hand as she hopped down, it was cold, she leaned on me a little … Hi there, she said again … her eyes were chilly as icicles and shone with a silver light, she touched me … What was it like? I asked. Different, the sixteen-year-old replied. Then I heard … shuffling across the water toward us … it’s Granny Macešková, Bohler shouted, hastening to her aid. Yes indeed, sonnies, it’s me, I’m back. An I brought this little fellow here. Anyone else in there? said Micka. No, not anymore, said one of the sisters. It was just us, the other one added.
We stood there without saying a word, cats and dogs racing out of the cellar. I was glad they were back, but I felt extremely tired. The little boy’s eyes shone silver too. Are Mom an Dad around? he asked. I’ll be damned, Micka whispered to me, it’s Kučera’s kid.
Hradil’s daughters seemed to know. About the little guy’s parents. You can come with us, Jožka, you’re our little brother now. We’ve got lotsa little bros you can play with. The boy giggled happily and took one of them by the hand. I’m goin home, sonnyboys, said Granny Macešková. We were too surprised by the whole thing to ask any questions. The water had taken these people away and given them back again. We knew the Zone was done for.
Bohler and Lady Laos were headed for the Rock. Micka wanted to poke around town and try some other byznys, Sharky had a plane ticket in his pocket. I couldn’t wait to go after my sister … and David … David had disappeared.
We weren’t up to asking any of them what had happened. That was their business. And besides, we were kind of embarrassed that a Zone had popped up on our territory. The main thing was, it was behind us now. It didn’t matter that we’d lost all our cash. Looking back I realize it was all the same to us. We were of the opinion that only fools and bad people don’t clean up after themselves.
Rudolf was waiting out in the yard. The two beings sat in the car.
Hey, Rudolf, said Micka. We wanna thank that … skirvolya. An you too.
Forget it, said Rudolf. The ducats’ll do the thankin for you.
It’s great, I said, that skirvolyas’re still around.
Hah-hah, laughed Rudolf, still around … that’s a good one. You guys just dreamed the whole thing.
Oh sure! I said.
Yeah, suckers, said Rudolf, I had you guys under heavy hypnosis.
Do you mean to say, said Bohler, that those checks’re real?
Rudolf stuck his hand in his pocket. Yep, they’re real.
Enough fun an games, said Micka. Thanks anyway. To the Ministry as well.
I’m not there anymore, said Rudolf. Now I’m in the private sector. An, Potok, I’ll be seein you tomorrow night at Galactic. Got some news for ya. You’re stayin in town, right?