Fire Under the Mountain

Day in Court:

Day in Court:

Helena jolted awake, she had never been in a courtroom, but she had read about them in detective stories. This was how she always pictured one to look.

“Why did you feel the need to rescue the girls from the Chinatown quarantine?” The man asked while facing the jury.

“Humm, they were all alone, and in that neighborhood. I wanted to save them,” Helena said.

“Even if they didn’t need saving?”

“What? They were in with the plague, I wanted to rescue them.”

“And what of their families? Did you plan to rescue the families?” The prosecutor pressed.

“I... I don’t understand the question.”

The man finally turned to face her before continuing, “Isn’t it true you only wanted to save the children to make a bigger name for yourself? For you, a simple publicity stunt.”

Helena had to blink to make sure she wasn’t imagining things, their standing in front of her stood Mister Nobody from Sutter’s Baths, only now he stared at her with one normal eye and one black jade orb. “No, that isn’t true...” Helena tried to defend her actions, but now she wasn’t sure.

“Is it true you murdered the man, Mr. Meiyouren, in cold blood?” Changing direction, the prosecutor began a new line of questioning.

Helena stammered, trying to make sense of where she was and what was going on, “I... I... Can you repeat the question?”

Mister Nobody turned, playing to the jury, “You won’t be able to use your youth, or the encumbrance of being a female as a defense in this court young lady. I will ask again is it true you murdered the victim in cold blood?”

She assumed she sat in the witnessed box, to her left set the strangest of juries. Twelve replicas of the prosecuting officer all stared at her with twelve real eyes and twelve black orbs. Trying to stall, she studied the judge before asking, “Your Honor could I have a short recess I don’t feel well. I need a drink of water.”

“Your Honor she is stalling, we all know she killed me for no reason. She should be taken to the gallows and hung by the neck until dead,” the prosecuting attorney shouted, the jury began chanting “hang her,” at the top of their lungs.

Helena tried to talk to the judge, but the prosecutor, jury, and the audience had all morphed into the same person. Mister Nobody the one she had stabbed in the eye to save her and Missy’s life.

With one slap of the gavel the judge spoke the word, “Silence,” and a hush fell over the courtroom.

Helena examined the judge and became instantly surprised there sat a Chinese man behind the bench, a very British white powdered wig perched on top of his head, his black robes hiding everything else about him. “Young lady you will answer the question,” the judge said.

Helena had no idea how she had gotten from the coast of San Francisco to this courtroom. The last thing she remembered, a voice in her head whispering the word, “Sleep.” She had no way of telling how long she had been unconscious before waking in this kangaroo court.

“If you’re asking did I take the Dragon dagger and plunge it into Mister Nobody’s eye, then the answer is... Yes, I did it. I would do it again to save Missy’s life, and no matter what you say I would still try to save those children from the plague.”

Before she finished, the courtroom broke into pandemonium. Hundreds of Mister Nobody’s rushed the witness stand. Helena cringed trying to back away from the mob but had nowhere to go.

Just before they reached her, she heard a single word, “Sleep,” echo through her head and she thought: Damn it, and she slept.

Helena woke in a magical meadow, she found herself surrounded by flowing purple blooms of wisteria plants which had climbed their way up the tree trunks surrounding her natural sleeping area. The air was warm and scented with a fresh perfume of blooming flowers. Over the trees and odd shaped colorful mushrooms, the size of trees, she distinctly made out pinnacles of natural gemstones jutting towards the sky, with small buildings built on the peaks.