The Circle and the Dot by E. C. Nemeth (best english novels for beginners TXT) 📖

being I have ever encountered, my love. But your secret is out. You are not who you lead me to believe you were. In fact, you are not here. There is only me. For I am the circle and the dot.”
“Oh Dot! How I have longed for you to say those words!” said a tiny point of light far below him. He was now the circle and he saw how all things could be seen from here. All his adventures had happened in this place, even though they had all seemed to be different settings to him then.
“Oh the marvel of it! The sheer exquisite simplicity! It is beyond words. Look at all we have done!” he exclaimed.
Then he was again the point called Dot and Camarilla, the circle, shone in unparalleled brilliance overhead.
“Hurry!” was all she said as she disappeared.
Dot decided once more that she was indeed radiant.
Dot looked up and again found himself in the company of Death, Thor and the frozen Zeus.
“Do you think that would be wise,” asked Death, “Your presence at the nexus could very well disturb the subtle balance of reality even more.”
“Been there and back,” indicated Dot.
“What? Oh, no,” Death replied, quickly tapping away at his keyboard, “It is as I feared. Your presence at the nexus has caused a severe instability in the fabric of reality. More and more timelines and lines of force are converging on our present position. The more that appear here the more that reality becomes undone at other locations. The finite realm is being destroyed.” Death continued to tap at the keys, engrossed in the facts being fed to him by the tiny view screen hovering a few inches from his eye.
“Release the god Zeus! I demand it,” piped in the god of thunder, gesturing menacingly with his war hammer.
Unwilling to be interrupted continuously by Thor’s posturing, Dot rearranged the timelines surrounding them to include the timeline of this place. Then he indicated to Death to try releasing Zeus again.
Zeus stumbled out of his stupor and shook his head.
“You!” he glared at Death, “I’ll deal with you momentarily,” he turned to the god of thunder, “Leave! Now,” he told him.
“But, are you alright? Don’t you want me to stay and help?”
“Be gone!” and Thor bowed, hopped on a lightening bolt that had just appeared, rode it up into the sky and was gone with a clap of thunder.
Zeus rounded on the old timer; intent on venting his considerable wrath at having been treated unfairly and then badly insulted as well.
The chirping of a bird interrupted Zeus’. All three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a green fog swirling into existence. From it flew a little yellow canary. It flittered this way and that but never strayed far from the cloud. Then a fluffy white rabbit hopped out of the green mist. In the next few moments all manner of life appeared about the thickening haze. Soon a menagerie hopped, flew, crouched and crawled around the perimeter of the strange green fog. The noise was considerable as each species let out their calls in unison. Then they grew quiet and from the fog stepped the most exquisite creature possible to imagine.
Dot saw she had humanoid features. Her hair was the color of the setting sun, all ruddy reds. Her shapely figure was, in a word, voluptuous. Her skin was a light olive green. She wore not a stitch of clothing. Instead, vines crept round and about her body, covering her appropriately at all times. She moved with a grace that defied description and Dot noticed that where she stepped living things grew out of the ground.
“Mother,” greeted Dot.
“Hello dear. Hi Zeus,” returned Mother Nature, “Death,” she added, with distaste.
“I am Dot.”
“So you are the cause of all this ruckus,” she gave him a smile that virtually melted Dot’s heart, “I suppose Death showed up in response to the very first signs of trouble, as he often does. He is very diligent in such matters and he does take his job seriously, I’ll give him that.”
“Thanks,” Death hung his head, visibly ashamed of his job when standing in front of Life incarnate.
“As for you, Zeus? You have always had an amazing fascination with this creature,” she gestured at Dot, “I guess you showed up to see if there was some advantage to be gained here for yourself.”
“You’re being rather judgmental, don’t you think? After all, you are here too,” Zeus pointed out.
“True. Well, Dot? What’s to be done?” she asked of him.
“Odd, as soon as I became aware, that was one of the first things I thought to ask as well,” shared Dot, “That is the final consideration. It is the only thing of relevance, really. What is to be done, indeed.”
In a dramatic gesture of finality, Death swept up the little view-screen arm of his headgear and pulled down the sleeve of his robe to cover the keyboard. Everyone turned to look questioningly at him. His form seemed more bent and brittle than ever.
“The timelines are coming apart. There is nothing that can stop it now. The lifelines and force conduits are converging here, or as close as matters. When enough of them are realigned the entire fabric of reality will unravel like a bad rug.” When no one looked shocked enough, Death raised his arms high, shook his fists at them and shrieked, “We are all doomed!” Then he collapsed like a bellows with a hole in it. He remained standing but his head nearly disappeared between his shoulders. Only the headset was still visible on top of his head and a pair of bushy eyebrows that occasionally rustled his wispy white hair.
“Now you show your true colors,” spoke up Mother Nature. Her voice was high and melodious, and could be mistaken for singing. “You immediately think that someone pulled the plug in the giant universal drain and we’re all going to be flushed.” Her laugh sounded like an arpeggio in C# minor. “But I know this time. I feel it in my bones and in my loins. Ha! The night is young, I say. And there’s love in the air…” she sang, looking directly at Dot. “Yes?” she asked in song.
“There’s yet another verse or two. Love deserves at least one more chance, don’t you think? ” replied Dot.
Death’s head popped up like a child’s toy, “I’m telling you, the universal skein is unraveling and reality is being destroyed in its wake. This,” he pointed to the ground, “is the last place that will exist before it all disappears,” he tucked his head in between his shoulders again before he finished with, “Last verse? No. Last line. The curtain is about to fall!”
“Look!” cried Zeus, pointing skyward. They all looked up, including the animals. Even Death poked his head out to see. The animals quickly decided to head for cover. They scurried to the relative safety of the green fog and disappeared into it.
The sky was flashing in patches and swathes of every color imaginable. Great splashes of color repeatedly painted the sky and formed irregular patterns overhead.
The energy being released overhead must be tremendous, thought Dot. Yet here we stand unharmed. Not even a breeze to hint of the chaotic fury being unleashed just above us. It seems we are safe for the moment but, overall, things don’t look too good for us, I’m afraid.
Dot stole a glance at each of his companions one by one. For some reason he knew this would be his last opportunity to do so. Zeus, whom he looked at as an older brother, of sorts, managed to hide most of the signs of his terror. There was no mistaking the sudden furtive glances this way and that, though, trying to find a place to hide, no doubt. He was probably thinking of a means to avert the disaster about to befall him – to somehow slip out of the trap. It was all there to read in his little unconscious movements and gestures, saw Dot.
Mother Nature, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the show. She ooed and ahhed at the display and clapped with delight at the more violent explosions that were becoming ever more prominent. She danced and twirled, finding her own rhythm to the spectacle.
And even Death seemed to have mustered up the courage to keep his head out from between his shoulders. But he stared into the distance with a grim and silent demeanor. What could he be thinking right now, wondered Dot. How ironic for Death to have to face death. He had inadvertently studied the subject more than any other creature, having attended so many others at the time of their demise. Had he expected to somehow escape the death experience himself?
Dot concluded that while Zeus had steeled himself to his fate and Death had resigned himself to his, the earth mother was eagerly awaiting hers and seemed to embrace it. Odd he thought
As the sky above continued its fiery display the plants at their feet began to shrivel and die. First the smallest succumbed. As they watched even the hardiest ones expired. Through it all Mother Nature didn’t deign to notice. The only possible sign that she might be a little worried was that her dancing became more frenetic and its tempo was increasing.
Her time came in a final leaping triple pirouette. In the middle of it she let out a little yelp and her body burst into tiny sparks that finished the last spin for her before flickering out. The dying embers and smoke then vanished with no sign of their passing.
Suddenly Death stood up straight and tall, his eyes wide, “It’s my time now,” he blurted and swallowed hard, “Goodbye all, I have done what I had to do with no regrets,” he looked to Mother Nature but she was no more.
“You have served well and honorably, die in peace,” Zeus said in his most formal voice, surprising himself. Then he was pacified by the realization that Death had served his needs many times throughout the ages.
Death looked at him, smiled and tears streamed from his eyes, “Thank you. Thank you very much,” he wiped his eyes and looked to Dot, “Be good,” he smiled again. His tools of office appeared one in each hand.
“Oh! This isn’t so bad,” were his last words. Then he collapsed and his body vaporized before it hit the ground. There was nothing left of Death, not even dust.
“This is it then,” said Zeus, incredulously. Evil didn’t account for much when all was said and done he had to admit. Now he would have to pay for his audacity and cruelty with his own destruction. He would cease to exist. Pity, it could have been so much different if I had known then what I know now, thought Zeus.
The explosions overhead were so numerous that they just became a brilliant smear of light energy. The light pulsed as if it was alive and its brightness continued to intensify. The colors were slowly blending together until they became off-white in hue. Then they turned a convincing white. But it did not stop until the entire sky glowed fiercely with a pure white light. And when it was perfectly white it exploded in a burst of searing power that momentarily blinded the two remaining onlookers.
But none of the energy above them found its way to the ground.
When Zeus and Dot regained their vision they saw that a ring of pure white light now circled them while the rest of the sky was completely black.
“My love,” said the circle.
“Yes love,” replied the dot.
“It beautiful!” exclaimed Zeus, “Look at that!”