Free Black by Ted Dekker

Thomas!”
    â€œSo you really can’t remember anything about this place?” Michal asked. “The lake, the Shataiki? Us?”
    â€œNo, I can’t .I really can’t .”
    Michal sighed. “Well, then I suppose we’ll have to fill you in. But where to start?”
    â€œWith us,” Gabil, the shorter one, said. “We are mighty warriors with frightening strength.” He strutted to Tom’s right on his short, spindly legs, like a furry Easter egg with wings. A huge white baby chick. Tweety on steroids. “You saw how I sent the black bats flying for cover! I have a thousand stories that I could—”
    â€œWe are Roush,” Michal interrupted.
    â€œYes, of course,” Gabil said. “Roush. Mighty warriors.”
    â€œSome of us are evidently mightier warriors than others,” Michal said with a wink.
    â€œMighty, mighty warriors,” said Gabil.
    â€œServants of Elyon. And you, of course, are a man. We are on Earth. You know none of this? It seems quite elementary.”
    â€œWhat about the man who drank the water?” Tom asked. “Bill.”
    â€œBill was no man. If he was a man and he drank the forbidden water, we would probably all be dead by now. He was a figment of your imagination, formed by the Shataiki to lure you to the water. Surely you remem-ber the forbidden water.”
    Tom paced and shook his head. “I’m telling you, I don’t know anything! I don’t know what water is forbidden, or what water is drinkable, or who these Shataiki bats are, or who the woman was.” He stopped. “Or what she meant when she said she’s chosen me.”
    â€œForgive me. It’s not that I doubt you can’t remember anything; it’s just very strange to talk to someone who’s lost his memory. I am what they call a wise one—the only wise one in this part of the forest. I have perfect memory. Dear, dear. This is going to be interesting, isn’t it? Rachelle has chosen a man with no memory.”
    Gabil smiled wide. “How romantic!”
    Romantic?
    â€œGabil finds nearly everything romantic. He secretly wants to be a man. Or perhaps a woman, I think.”
    The smaller Roush didn’t argue.
    â€œAt any rate, I suppose we should start with the very basics then. Follow me.” Michal headed toward the sound of the rushing water. “Come, come.”
    Tom followed. The thick carpet of grass silenced his footfalls. It didn’t thin out under the trees but ran heavy and lush right through. Violet and lavender flowers with petals the size of his hand stood knee-high, scattered about the forest floor. No debris or dead branches littered the ground, making walking surprisingly easy for the two Roush hopping ahead of him.
    Tom lifted his eyes to the tall trees shining their soft colors about him. Most seemed to glow with one predominant color, like cyan or magenta or yellow, accented by the other colors of the rainbow. How could the trees glow? It was as if they were powered by some massive underground generator that powered fluorescent chemicals in large tubes made to look like trees. No, that was technology from ancient Earth.
    He ran his hand gently across the surface of a large ruby tree with a purple hue, surprised at how smooth it was, as if it had no bark at all. He took in the tree’s full height. Breathtaking.
    Michal cleared his throat and Tom jerked his hand from the tree.
    â€œJust ahead,” the Roush said.
    â€œJust
a moment more,” Gabil piped in.
    They exited the forest less than fifty yards from the meadow, on the banks of the river. The white bridge he’d stumbled over spanned flowing water. On the far side, the black forest. Tall trees lined the bank as far as he could see in either direction. Behind the trees, deep, dark shadows. The memory of them sent a wave of nausea through Tom’s gut.
    Not a black bat in sight.
    Michal stopped and faced him. He might