Tanis, the shadow years by Barbara Siegel & Scott Siegel

Author:Barbara Siegel & Scott Siegel [Siegel, Barbara & Siegel, Scott]
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction - General, Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780140143744
Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited
Published: 1991-04-25T04:00:00+00:00

PART III

29

Life After Death

The bright light was not a star, a moon, or a fire. It was merely an opening at the end of an almost infinite corridor, much like the bright light one sees when looking at the opening of a mine from deep inside the shaft.

When Tanis and Brandella finally came tumbling out of the darkness, they were dumped onto a flower bed awash with vivid colors. Above them stood trees with bright purple leaves. Blinded by the light, neither could see anything but flashes of brilliant color for several minutes. As they groped about the flower bed, Tanis called out, "Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Brandella's voice floated shakily to him through the blotches of red, orange, purple, and magenta.

"Nothing broken. What about you?"

He made another attempt to focus on what appeared to be a chrysanthemum—although he'd never seen one in that particular shade of chartreuse. "Fine. I'm fine. At least I think so."

"I wonder where we are," Brandella said, rubbing her eyes.

"You're in my garden!" boomed an angry male voice. "And you're ruining it!" Tanis tried to crawl toward the voice, squashing a splotch of pink under one knee. The voice grew more strident. "Don't move! You're making it worse. Wait until your eyes adjust." They did as they were instructed. As they sat, though, Tanis asked, "Other than your garden, what is this place?"

There was a pause. "You don't know?" Tanis shook his head.

A short, baritone chuckle broke the silence. "Why, this place is Death. Everyone who comes here knows that." Flower gardens in Death? Tanis wondered. A white and black tulip slowly came into focus before him, then drifted out again.

"That can't be," explained Brandella. "We're not dead. At least I don't think we are. Are we dead, Tanis?"

Tanis studied the tulip. When it came back into focus again, it was lavender and black. He shook his head, hoping to clear it, and a cloud of unfocused multicolored snow drifted down past his eyes. "I have no idea. I certainly hope not."

Their eyes slowly stopped tearing, and they were able to see their surroundings. They saw the flowers and the trees. And they saw the man who glared at them. He was a middle-aged human of stature, with a full beard, elegantly sweeping mustache, and sinewy arms. He obviously had been a well-built, powerful man in his youth.

He was dressed simply, in loose white pants and a flowing, white shirt. Dozens of petals clung to Brandella's mane of curly hair. She looked at Tanis and giggled, and Tanis knew his own red-brown locks were similarly adorned.

"Ah, you two can see now?" the man demanded. 'Then please leave my garden." They gingerly stepped out of the flowers. The man stood half a head taller than Tanis. Brandella made an attempt to assuage the man's irritation.

"I've never seen flowers like that," she said. 'They're beautiful." She knelt to smell a blossoming yellow and green flower with splotches of pink and red on its petals. The man, seemingly mollified, smiled indulgently down on her.

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