{"id":2672,"date":"2024-05-18T14:38:22","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T21:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2672"},"modified":"2024-05-18T14:38:22","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T21:38:22","slug":"the-keeper-the-seeker-and-the-avatar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/18\/the-keeper-the-seeker-and-the-avatar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Keeper, the Seeker, and the Avatar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What\u2019s in the library? Why was it kept secret?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After nearly thirty years of research, field work, digging, and sometimes living off the land, Ana had finally found what her family had sought since her great-grandfather. The door was so well hidden that she hadn\u2019t realized it was there until she attempted to break a bit of the surface rock off with her geologist\u2019s hammer. The hollow behind the door resonated with the sound of the hammer on stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She tapped along the door to find the edges. With the chisel end of her hammer, she chipped away the encrustations that had built up along the edges.  After hours of hammering, chiseling, and digging at the base, the outline of the door was visible. Made of the same rock as the surrounding gneiss, it had gone unnoticed for untold millennia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ana pushed the door from the sides, the middle, the top, the bottom, looking for the smallest movement. The door didn\u2019t budge. She sat, leaning against the door on the flat bit of ground she\u2019d dug out. She ate some of the year-old jerky she had in her pack while the sun set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a clear, moonless night, and Ana focused her attention on the whirl of the Milky Way overhead. The sight wasn\u2019t enough to keep her mind off the stubborn door behind her and the aching of her joints from sitting on the rocky ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stood and turned to take a last look at the door for the day. Even in the faint light of the stars, she thought she could make out the edges. At one corner, a flash caught her eye. She moved her head back and forth, trying to find the position that had, she thought, reflected light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not finding it, she pulled out her flashlight and shone it on the corner of the door where the flash was. She expected to see a reflection but saw none. She turned out the light, and there it was, except it was two flashes this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no doubt it was coming from inside, shining out a pinhole in the door seam at the upper left corner. \u201cMonkey see, monkey do?\u201d she asked herself. She pointed the flashlight at the corner and flashed it twice. When nothing happened, she flashed it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response was five flashes. \u201cOh, fibbi-whatever,\u201d she muttered. \u201cThree and five is eight.\u201d She flashed the light eight times. There was no immediate response. She began to worry that she\u2019d been wrong in her counting or in what pattern they were looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A loud hiss sounded as the whole door slid out away from the wall. Bright light shone around the edges of the door that continued to slide out, far thicker than she\u2019d expected. Where she\u2019d stopped digging in front of it, the door bulldozed its own path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It stopped with a little less than a meter clearance between the back of the door and front of the rock wall. Beyond lay a downward-sloping walkway. It was shaped like an oval with a flattened floor. A voice echoed from within, \u201cEnter, Anastasia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She didn\u2019t know how they knew who she was, but she wasn\u2019t going to turn back after having come so far. She stepped around the door, held by a single, flat piece of metal that disappeared into a groove in the ceiling. The metal that held the massive slab of stone looked far too flimsy for purpose, but pushing against the edges of the open door did nothing to sway the door or distort the metal support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a deep breath, Ana threw her pack over her shoulder and stepped into the hallway. As she continued down the hall, more would illuminate ahead of her while behind her, the lights shut off. Where the light came from was a mystery to her, but she was more interested in what lay ahead at that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt a slight, sudden increase in air pressure in the tunnel, followed by the echoing sound of the door as it closed. She pushed down the edges of panic that wanted to take hold. \u201cI\u2019m on my way,\u201d she said to the tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deeper she went, the more the temperature seemed to settle at close to fifteen or sixteen degrees Celsius. Her lips felt dry in the still air, and she applied lip balm while she continued apace ever deeper. Somewhere far underground, the tunnel curved back on itself and kept descending. After two more switchbacks, and what felt like hours of walking, she found herself in a chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was monumental in scale. The walls curved to meet at least twenty meters overhead. As the lights in the chamber came up, the far side looked a hundred or more meters away, while the doorway she was in was situated about twenty meters from the walls on either side. Covering the bottom two-thirds of the walls were row upon row of plastic-like boxes with lights blinking inside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the center of the chamber was a dais with a holographic glyph floating in the air above it. Standing next to the dais was the owner of the voice she\u2019d heard on entering. The shape was semi-translucent, the lights from the boxes behind it seeming to light it from within.  \u201cWelcome,\u201d it said, although it had no mouth with which to speak. Its form shifted and changed, from an amorphous blob to an array of wings and eyes, then through creatures both real and mythical, until it finally settled into the shape of a large woman with wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d Ana asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am the keeper,\u201d it said. \u201cYou are Anastasia, the seeker, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Anastasia Kell, but I go by Ana.\u201d Ana moved closer to the center of the chamber and the shape-shifting entity at its center. \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am the keeper. I have no name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine, I\u2019ll call you Odette, then. You look like an Odette.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The keeper flapped its wings twice, then shrunk its body by adding a long tail. \u201cThat is acceptable, seeker Anastasia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease, just call me Ana.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, Ana. Please, come to the dais for your reward. Your dedication has won through.\u201d The keeper moved away from the dais and extended an arm toward Ana. The arm kept extending, reaching Ana\u2019s hand twenty meters away from the keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ana was surprised that the hand felt warm and dry. She\u2019d expected some sort of slimy, cold thing, but it wasn\u2019t. She let herself be led to the dais. \u201cWhat are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am the keeper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you a biological creature or a construct of some sort? Some sort of soft-body robot, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am a biological construct, designed to keep a record of all intelligent life on this world. I have been keeping these records for 72,363,412 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince what\u2026the dinosaurs?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. The first were theropods. Traveling in hunter groups, they had a limited language. If they had been more adaptable, they might have not been already dying out by the time of the asteroid.\u201d The keeper changed its shape to a theropod that Ana didn\u2019t recognize. It was about the same height as her, with three-toed feet, three-fingered hand on medium-length arms, and a slightly domed head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they looked like?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d The keeper shifted into the shape of a porpoise. \u201cThere were and are the cetaceans, of course. They have language and culture but are not in a position to leave their cradle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that what you\u2019ve been waiting for? An intelligence capable of space travel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. My creators have placed other keepers like me on millions of worlds.\u201d The keeper changed into a sphere. \u201cThis is where I am keeper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo now, humans, I guess, are what you\u2019ve been looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The keeper changed into a primate that resembled a chimpanzee and then morphed through several hominin species shapes, pausing on Neanderthal before finishing up with modern human. \u201cI\u2019ve watched entire civilizations come and go without so much as a scratch to mark them in the geologic record, and yet your kind has made an indelible mark on the planet. Whether that is for better or worse remains to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy guess would be worse, but I\u2019m a pessimist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you say, but you never stopped searching for the library at the heart of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue.\u201d Ana took a deep breath and put a hand on the dais. The holographic glyph hovering above it disappeared, and an eight-limbed creature appeared in its place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creature spoke in English, even though its squishy mouthparts made movements that were often in total contradiction to the sounds it made. \u201cWelcome, seeker Anastasia. Updating. Welcome, Ana. What would you like to learn today?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are my limits here? This place was hard enough to find, what kind of things won\u2019t<\/em> you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe records will answer any questions you have that can be answered. Nonsensical and paradoxical queries will be ignored. The library is hidden to ensure that only those ready to take the next steps beyond their cradle can find it. As such, all our knowledge is yours for the asking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I blinked a light in a simple sequence. How does that mean we\u2019re ready to take the next steps \u2013 whatever those are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are the fourth generation of your family that has searched for the library, correct?\u201d the holograph asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you have spent the majority of your adult life in the same search, have you not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have,\u201d she said, \u201cbut how does that\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMulti-generational planning and execution, combined with drive and determination, and the knowledge of basic mathematical concepts. This is enough to start with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you just another aspect of Odette?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I am the avatar of Krshnlgik-mlOgnk, the current head of remote planetary studies on our home world of MFkst.\u201d The pronunciation of the non-translated names sounded more like someone choking in a bowl of oatmeal than a language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs faster-than-light communication possible?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is. I am currently speaking with you from a distance of thirty-one thousand light years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A series of formulae appeared in the space above the dais. \u201cYou may use your phone to photograph these, since memorization might be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ana did. \u201cAnd faster-than-light travel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The formulae were replaced with more, some of which looked similar to the first. She photographed those as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you have any other questions?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can you claim to keep track of everything happening all over the world?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe keeper, or Odette<\/em> as you call it, has a connection through quintillions of microscopic wormholes to points all over the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, would you have the contents of the Library of Alexandria as they were just before it burned?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do.\u201d Thousands upon thousands of titles scrolled by, many in languages Ana couldn\u2019t even guess at, but with an English translation next to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat might be something for another day,\u201d she said. \u201cAre there others out there in the galaxy or just your people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are many others,\u201d the avatar said, as images of dozens of strange body plans showed. \u201cWe are a small part of a wider galactic community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou seem to be pondering something,\u201d the keeper said. \u201cDo not be afraid to ask your question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do we get off this rock and join the galactic community?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The keeper morphed into the shape of a cozy chair and said, \u201cGet comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause,\u201d the avatar answered, \u201cthis is going to take a long time to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What\u2019s in the library? Why was it kept secret? available at Reedsy After nearly thirty years of research, field work, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,228,209],"class_list":["post-2672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-science-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-H6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2672"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2673,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2672\/revisions\/2673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}