Return To Primordial Island by Rick Poldark (read my book .txt) 📕

Act III

Awakening

Chapter 10

Jason strolled beside his deceased younger brother, Joey, as night gave way to dawn. The chorus of exotic frogs and the chittering of countless insects began to quiet with the brightening of the horizon, and warm rain fell.

“Where do I find Peter?” asked Jason.

Joey smiled up at him. “You won’t have to. He’s seeking out the Temple of the Simian King as we speak. I’ve seen to it.” His little brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jason.

“It’s Peter,” said Joey. “The poor man has carried the burden of two orbs with him, yet he only knows how to access one.”

“The life orb.”

Joey nodded. “You don’t choose the orbs. They choose you. You have to be worthy of the power they offer.”

“Hey, Peter’s a good man. He saved my life. There’s no one more worthy.”

“That’s not what I meant, Jason. He’s perfect for wielding the life orb. It suits him. However, it’s not in his constitution to wield the power of death.”

It hadn’t escaped Jason that his little brother was wielding a vocabulary well beyond his age. However, he was happy to see Joey. He didn’t appear as an apparition or phantom now. He appeared just as he had in their childhood. When his little brother spoke, it wasn’t just in words. He felt him in his mind and in his soul. He liked the sensation, and he fought back doubts and inconsistencies to allow this feeling to wash over him completely, even though in the very back of his mind, somewhere in his reptilian brain, he heard a faint voice of caution growing weaker and weaker, fading into the warmth Joey offered.

“So, who should wield it?” asked Jason.

Joey looked up at his big brother, beaming. “I think you’re the perfect one to wield it.”

Jason chortled. “You’ve got to be kidding. Me? I’m the worst person to have such a power.”

“You’re perfect, actually. You understand death. You respect it.”

Jason’s eyes welled up. It wasn’t like him to be emotional. “I’ve missed you. I’m glad to see you again in this strange place.” He looked around at the jungle, hesitating before speaking again. “Is this where people go after they die?”

“It’s where I went. You were sent here to be with me again. You are alive, and I can be, too.”

Jason scratched his head. “What…what do you mean, you can be too?”

Joey looked ahead as he strolled next to his big brother. “My body is being kept in the Temple of the Simian King. I need the power of the death orb to bring me back.”

“But…that doesn’t make sense. Why would the death orb bring you back?”

Joey pondered this question for a moment. “The only way I can explain it is that death put me here. That wolf pack…” he winced, “…it was horrible.” He looked up at his brother, his eyes welling up and his expression searching, pleading. “They tore me apart, Jason. Like I was some kind of animal. They were death sent to me, to extinguish my life.”

Jason audibly choked down his grief. His lips trembled as he croaked out, “I found them, Joey. I tried to kill them all to avenge you. I tried…” his eyes trailed off as he wiped away tears with the back of his hand, “…and I failed.”

Joey gazed upon him, his eyes now strangely wide, impossibly so, anatomically speaking. They appeared as large pools threatening to drown Jason. The hunter allowed himself to be drawn in.

“You can bring me back, and we can be together again. We can get off this island and go home. Will you do that for me, Jason?”

Jason sobbed, hot tears mingling with the jungle rain as they streamed down his cheeks. “I’ll do that for you, Joey. I won’t let you down this time. I promise.”

Joey smiled. “I know you won’t. Your friends are in a cave up ahead. I have to go now, but I’ll be there, at the Temple of the Simian King. When we meet there, we’ll get Peter to pass the death orb onto you. He’ll do it. He’s a good man. It’s too much power for one person, anyway. Absolute power…”

“Corrupts absolutely,” said Jason, finishing the quote.

Joey was gone.

* * *

Susan watched the sunrise as Mary slept. They had walked for a couple of hours, but Mary was still weak. Susan had made sure her friend was hydrated, and then she selected a spot in a small cave not too far from the river for them to rest. Susan had tried to stay awake to keep watch, but fatigue had gotten the better of her. Fortunately, they passed the night without incident.

Mary began to stir, groaning as her eyes opened. She stretched out on the ground, arching her back as she yawned luxuriously. She smiled at Susan. “How long was I out?”

Susan shrugged. “I don’t know, but you were out for a while. How do you feel?”

Mary rolled over on her side and propped herself up on her right elbow. “Better. Much better.”

“You were exhausted and dehydrated,” said Susan.

Mary stood up, brushing herself off. “So, what now?”

“Jason said he’d catch up with us,” said Susan. “That’s if he’s still alive.”

Mary smiled to herself. “He’s alive. That guy has got nine lives.”

“He’s not as bad as he seems,” said Susan. “He’s actually pretty okay.” She flushed after saying it.

Mary grinned. “Oh my God.”

Susan looked at her sideways. “What?”

“You like him.”

“He’s okay.”

Mary stepped closer to Susan, reading her face. “No, you like him. You like him.”

“Come on,” said Susan. “What’re we, in middle school?”

Mary ignored the remark. She was genuinely fascinated by this development. “What happened between you two?”

Susan shrugged. “I don’t know. He looked after