Dark Tales Read online

During the past century, mankind had begun trying to claim a small niche on the planet. Technology was being salvaged and brought together in various locations. One of these was the Wildlife Foundation. This had been some kind of genetic facility prior to the war and there were samples of genetic material from thousands of creatures stored here. Unfortunately, all they were able to use properly was the cloning equipment. Perhaps, if the knowledge hadn't been lost they might have found a way to adapt birds to the current atmosphere. However, even if they could, that would only help with one symptom of a larger problem. She picked up her papers and moved to the adjoining conference room.

  A large map covered one wall of the room, and papers were scattered across the floor and table. She glanced up from the papers she was carrying and scanned the map with its multicolored pins and ribbons. The different colors of the pins indicated different species groups, while the ribbons showed their growth patterns. Black ribbons attached to the blue pins showed clearly the status of the avian species. There were no recorded populations anywhere in the world. Green ribbons attached to green pins showed the population increases for insects. Most of the remaining pins held red ribbons, showing population decreases. Here and there were pins with no ribbons; an indication there had been no significant changes in that species' numbers.

  She shifted through the papers, found the reports for each of the various regions, and began comparing the numbers from the previous and the current census. Every few seconds she found herself adding another red ribbon to a pin, which previously had held no ribbon. Only occasionally did she find herself reaching for a green ribbon or removing a red ribbon.

  She finally stepped back and surveyed the map, shaking her head at the amount of red. Her eyes searched out the gold pins she used to designate humans then closed them against the tears she felt coming. Her map confirmed what she had told Tomas-humanity was dying. Based on her projections, Gwendolyn doubted mankind had many more years left to it. Her thoughts were interrupted as Tomas burst into the office. "Gwen!"

  "Calm down. What's wrong?" she asked, reaching for the papers she had dropped.

  "Director Banks is on his way here with members of the Council." He started gathering up the papers scattered on the floor and table.

  Gwendolyn stood frozen, staring at her friend. "What? Why?"

  "Don't know. But they didn't look happy." He finished picking up the last of the papers and looked up. "Where do you want these?"

  "Huh?" She shook her head slightly. "Thanks. Just put them on my desk." She nodded toward the door to her office.

  "Ms. Robbins," a voice said from the doorway.

  Gwendolyn looked up to see Brian Banks, the Director for the Wildlife Foundation standing in the room next to a petite woman with dark red hair and brilliant blue eyes. "Director Banks, President Kerchner. What can I do for you?"

  Helen Kerchner, the President of the World Council, stepped forward and smiled softly. "Ms. Robbins, we need to talk. The Council and I have some concerns.

  "Of course." Gwendolyn gestured to the chairs around the table.

  "Ms. Robbins, I have reviewed your proposal regarding your pegasus projects as well as the other interesting projects you have suggested. I must admit that while your ideas are intriguing, I have some reservations."

  "Madam President, over the past two years, teams from the Foundation have managed to catalog every species known to still exist on Earth. My proposal deals with those ecological niches that are severely under populated or not populated at all. I believe it's possible, through cloning of unique species to fill those niches and thereby restore Balance."

  "So we were correct," President Kerchner said leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "You are talking about creating new species. Ms. Robbins, I am sure you know the policy of the World Council is to allow for natural recovery, with minimal interference from man."

  "Your proposals are a serious violation of that policy, as I have already told you," Director Banks said. Gwendolyn met the intense gaze of his dark eyes and wasn't surprised to see nothing reflected in them. No light, no emotion-just two deep pools of black space. "I understand that," she said. "However, you need to understand it has been two centuries since the war that nearly destroyed this planet?" She turned her attention back to the Council President. "Everyday we are still reminded of that event. Records say the sky was once as blue as your eyes. In the time since the war, it still has not returned to that color. The Balance has not been restored. Moreover, it will never be restored if man is not considered as part of the equation. Two hundred years and mankind is afraid to do anything that might risk the ecological balance of the Earth.

  We live in constant fear of making a mistake and destroying what life is left."

  "With good reason, I'd say. Look around you at what is left." President Kerchner leaned forward, her blue eyes piercing in their intensity.

  "You look around!" Gwendolyn slapped her hands against the table. "Man has hung on by the skin of his teeth since the war. We are afraid to live. We are unwilling to be a part of the Balance anymore, and it's killing us." She gestured to the map covering the walls. For the next several minutes, she carefully explained about the colored pins and ribbons.

  "While, I have not completed all the comparisons yet, you can still see from the amount of red on the map, populations have declined since last year. The Council has got to realize what's happening. This planet is dying! New methods must be explored."

  "Perhaps, but that is not your decision to make." The President's eyes narrowed slightly and she stood slowly. "I must warn you Ms. Robbins to tread carefully, the Council will be watching you closely." With a final glance at the map, she turned and left the room, Director Banks following her.

  ****

  Gwendolyn sat on the floor of the conference room, staring at the map and occasionally glancing down at the papers in her hand. There has to be a way to get through to them, she thought.

  Her eyes kept darting across the maps, the various colored pins with the attached red, green and black ribbons. The pin groupings within each of the regions showed the various population centers. Something didn't look right as she continued to study the map. The ratio of green and red pins in the western region of the North American continent was different from the rest of the map. She set the charts for the western region aside so she could reconstruct that area of the map later.

  Let's start with these, she thought, removing the blue pins with the black ribbons. We're all aware of the status of the avian population. She stepped back and studied the groupings. Okay, now for the insects.

  All of the appropriate pins and ribbons removed, Gwendolyn stepped back and looked at the map again. There were still a few green pins left in the scattered clusters. She reached for one to remove it then stopped; her hand frozen as she stared at the green dot surrounded by a rainbow of colors. There was no ribbon attached to it. Could she have forgotten? It didn't seem likely. Gwendolyn picked up her charts and flipped through them looking for the census numbers for this particular area. There it was-No significant increase or decrease in insect population.

  "No significant increase or decrease in insect population," she said. "No significant increase or decrease in insect population!" She repeated the phrase like a mantra.

  Gwendolyn returned her attention to the section of the map with the green pin. All of the remaining pins in that grouping were either empty or had a green ribbon attached to them. She circled the area with a green marker.

  For several hours, Gwendolyn carefully checked every cluster of pins, circling those that showed characteristics similar to the first group. "Is there a pattern?" she asked herself, when she was finally done.

  Gwendolyn removed every pin cluster that wasn't circled, then stepped back and smiled. All of the remaining clusters were grouped together around a central area. It's almost like a mushroom ring surrounding an oak tree, she thought.

  Gwendolyn's thoughts were interrupted as the door to he
r office opened. She turned to see Tomas entering the room.

  "Gwen," Tomas said. He paused as he looked around the room, his eyes wide at the papers scattered across the floor. "Work was over hours ago. And, you promised to let me meet the pegasi tonight."

  "Give me a minute, then we'll go." Gwendolyn jotted down some notes on her charts then motioned to the door.

  ****

  Gwendolyn led the way through the bare corridors to a large room set up as a habitat, similar to the woods surrounding the center. As they entered the area, two large gray wolves bounded out of the trees. "Hello, you two," Gwendolyn said as the two creatures sniffed at her and Tomas.

  The two wolves followed closely as she led Tomas over to large enclosure.

  "Back off you two. Sit and stay," Gwendolyn told the two wolves.

  The two large canines cocked their heads at her, but both backed up several steps and sat watching her closely as she opened the enclosure. Gwendolyn smiled at the gasp she heard from Tomas when the two small black horses pranced out into the habitat. The pegasi were about three quarters the size of the wolves.

  Gwendolyn brought one of them over for Tomas to see. "This is Artemis. The male is Apollo," she said. "As you can see, they look like horses in every detail; other than the obvious difference in size, that is. Other differences: They have hollow bones like a bird. And, most importantly, they like insects in addition to grass."

  The two wolves looked at the pegasus still standing by the cage. One of them glanced up at Gwendolyn, and then pounced at the winged horsed in front of it. Gwendolyn laughed as Apollo jumped into the air and whinnied at the wolf. "And, they can fly. I'm sorry Remus, but it won't be easy to catch one of these guys." She reached down and scratched the wolf's ears.

  "An interesting idea, Gwen. You may have come up with a solution to the avian problem. Do you think it'll work?" Tomas gave Artemis a pat.

  "I hope so. The data from the Ancestors says it will." Gwendolyn let her voice trail off.

  "But?" Tomas asked.

  "But, it doesn't make sense. The digestive systems between a bird and a horse are so different and technically these guys shouldn't even be able to fly."

  "Neither should a bumblebee. Guess nobody ever told them they couldn't," Tomas said.

  "Perhaps." Gwendolyn gently tossed Artemis up and watched as she spread her wings catching the air and gracefully glided away from them.

  Gwendolyn and Tomas stood and watched the pegasi dart around the habitat, playing with each other and the two wolves.

  "Gwen, what do you know about unicorns?" Tomas asked after several minutes.

  She hesitated for several moments before answering. "I've studied a few of the legends. Other than that, not much."

  "Did you find any evidence here that the Ancestors may have developed or tried to develop unicorns?"

  There was a note of suspicion in Tomas' voice. "Why do you ask?"

  "Director Banks asked me to research several unicorn sightings and I discovered that they center around a central location. The area of the Foundation." Tomas reached out and took her hands in his. "Gwen, I need to know. Are you the one responsible for the unicorns?"

  Gwendolyn stared at her friend for a few minutes, searching his face for an indication of his true motives in asking that question. Tomas had staunchly supported the Council decisions regarding non-interference in the natural recovery processes in the past. Would he be open minded enough to understand something she wasn't sure she understood herself?

  Gwendolyn turned back to watch the pegasi as they glided to the ground. The two wolves trotted over and the four animals touched noses. "No," she whispered. "However, I do have a theory as to where they might have came from. Follow me." She led the way out of the habitat building to the genetics labs.

  "The Ancestors experimented with the idea of creating animals from mythology. They left behind research and genetic material from numerous species, including the pegasi and unicorns. The Council has tightly controlled most of this information. Only Brian and I have had access."

  "I guess that's why no one could figure out where you got the materials for the pegasi."

  Gwendolyn only smiled as she looked at Tomas, then turned toward the computer. "It took a while, but I was finally able to get into the system and begin cataloguing the work the Ancestors were doing." She pushed several buttons and the image of a rearing unicorn appeared on the screen. "These are the files and records I was able to recover. Unfortunately, they are not complete. From what I have been able to find, the Ancestors created test subjects for all of the creatures listed in this database."

  "Any indications they took their experiments further than the test phase?" Tomas stood behind her and placed a strong hand on her shoulder.

  "Not that I could find. However, these may only be the preliminary records. Although, it seems the primary focus here was on unicorns. I personally believe the Ancestors did create and release unicorns."

  Tomas sighed deeply then stepped back. Gwendolyn turned to face him. He stood with his arms crossed across his chest and a faraway look in his eyes. "Just what information do you have on the unicorns?"

  "They were solitary creatures, very elusive, almost impossible to find. The pool a unicorn drank from would be pure and clean. The areas where they lived were green and fertile with abundant plant and animal life. And lastly, they were the guardians and bringers of hope." She paused and glanced from the unicorn on the screen to Tomas and back.

  "Guardians and bringers of hope," Gwendolyn said suddenly. "Come on! I want to check something." She jumped up and hurried back to main building.

  ****

  "Gwen, what's going on?" Tomas demanded when they got back inside, out of the howling wind.

  Gwendolyn brushed her hair back from her face and took several deep breaths before answering. "I can't really explain it. I'll have to show you. Do me a favor. Get your notes on the unicorn sightings and meet me in my office."

  Tomas raised his eyebrows and frowned slightly, then nodded. "Sure."

  After entering her office, Gwendolyn got a box of silver pins from her desk then went into the conference room.

  "Here's the unicorn information. Now, will you please tell me what's going on?" Tomas said, handing her a folder.

  "In a few minutes. Let me check something first." Gwendolyn handed the folder back to Tomas. "Read me the locations on each of those sightings."

  Tomas sighed, shook his head slightly, and then opened the folder.

  As he read off each location, Gwendolyn marked each one on the map with a silver pin. When they were done with all of the reports, there was at least one silver pin in all of the circled clusters.

  "I knew it!" Gwendolyn said.

  "Knew what?" Tomas asked, staring at her.

  "All of these areas are showing stabilization or growth. I first noticed they had no significant increase or decrease in their insect populations. Further checking showed the other groups demonstrated either the same or population increases. There was no significant decrease in any species group-including man. Now, we find all of the reported unicorn sightings are in these areas. There has to be a connection!"

  Tomas studied the map for a moment. "I agree it appears that way. But, what exactly is the connection?" he asked.

  "Legends call unicorns the guardians and bringers of hope. Could it be that simple? Is what's needed be something as simple as hope?" Gwendolyn asked, staring at the silver pins. "Or were the Ancestors able to actually breed for magic?"

  "There are a lot of the old technologies, we don't understand. Perhaps they weren't breeding for magic, precisely. However, they could have given the unicorns some sort of ability that allows them to influence the plants and animals in an area to promote healing and balance. To us it might look like magic." He reached forward and placed his hand next to one of the silver pins. "Besides, does it really matter? What matters is something is happening and the unicorns may be the catalyst."

  "So, what should
we do about it? Do we report this to the Council or ignore it for now?"

  "We definitely don't ignore it, but we don't report it; at least not yet. Once we have enough information on the changes that are occurring, combined with the current and previous census reports, we will be able to show the Council what's going on. And, they will have to listen to you. But, before we do that there must be no doubt regarding the unicorns and their influence."

  "Tomas, you've have always supported the Council, why would you suggest this?" She backed away a few steps.

  "Because, I believe you're right. The unicorns could be just a coincidence, but I doubt it. I've seen the previous census reports. I know what's been happening to the various species groups on this planet. Something has to be done. The fact the Council gave you preliminary approval for your pegasi, shows they are more aware of what's happening than we give them credit for."

  Tomas placed his hands on Gwendolyn's shoulders and squeezed gently. "Come on," he said. "It's getting late and we both need to get some rest. I'll walk you home."

  "Thank you," she said softly as they left the room.

  ****

  Outside the administrative building a flash of silver and gold caught Gwendolyn's eye. "Did you see that?" she whispered.

  "I did. Do you think . . .?" Tomas let his voice trail off.

  "I want to. We could use some hope around here."

  There was another flash of silver and a soft whinny echoed in the trees, followed by a rhythmic drumming.

  Gwendolyn smiled at Tomas as the sounds faded into the night. "Perhaps magic is nothing more than hope and a belief in things hoped for," she said.

  "If that's true, there may already be magic in the world," Tomas said.

  Gwendolyn only nodded as they walked down the path.

  HALLOWEEN EVERLASTING

  Mark Justice lives with his wife and cats in Kentucky, where he hosts a morning radio program. In his rare free time he writes stories, which have appeared (or will soon appear) in BARE BONE, DAMNED NATION, HORROR FICTION REVIEW, MYTHOS COLLECTOR, IN LAYMON'S TERMS, GOTHIC.NET, HORROR CAROUSEL and DARK KRYPT, among others. He also reviews fiction for Hellnotes and Page Horrific, cohosts the podcast Pod of Horror and edits the Story Station children's fiction site at: www.viatouch.com/.