[Galaxy Of Fear] - 07(9)

They began pushing Zak, Tash, and Beidlo out of the room. Old, wrinkled faces glared at them from beneath the tattered hoods. Beyond them, Tash caught sight of another monk lying on the table. She couldn’t see clearly, but she thought the top of his skull had been removed.

The monk holding the brain quickly laid the gray blob in a clear plastic tray, then pointed one slime-covered hand at Beidlo and growled, “Out.”

The monk didn’t need to raise his voice. That one raspy word carried all the threat that was needed.

One of the monks activated a switch, and a heavy door rolled across the portal. Before it closed, Zak and Tash glimpsed the shelves on the walls. They were lined with jars, and inside each jar was a brain soaking in yellow-green soup.

“What’s going on?” Zak demanded. “What are they doing to that man?”

Beidlo stood with his back to the wall. Even in the underground gloom they could see how pale his face had become. He groaned, “Oh, I’m in trouble! They’ll never make me a monk now.”

Tash grabbed Beidlo by the shoulders. “Beidlo, we’ve got to do something! They killed someone in there!”

Beidlo looked up as if suddenly realizing Zak and Tash were still there. “Him? Oh, no, no!” he said quickly. “You don’t understand. They’re not killing him. They’re giving him eternal life.”

“Right,” Zak scoffed. “If that’s true, then a coffin’s just a permanent home.”

Beidlo seemed more amused than alarmed. He sighed. “Listen, those monks are pretty old-fashioned. They got angry because I accidentally let outsiders into one of the brain transference ceremonies. But there’s another monk I want you to meet. He’ll explain everything.”

Beidlo started down the hallway.

Zak and Tash looked at each other.

“What should we do?” Tash wondered aloud.

Zak scowled at her. “Don’t ask me. You’re the one who’s all grown up, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Tash retorted. “I’ve got you here to remind me what a child acts like.”

She started down the hall after Beidlo, leaving Zak to shake his head. If this was growing up, he wanted no part of it.

“Teenagers,” he sighed, and hurried to catch up.

Zak and Tash followed Beidlo to a wide chamber filled with stone benches and tables. The room was large enough to hold a hundred monks, but the place was empty except for a solitary figure sitting in the corner.

“This is the monks’ tea room,” Beidlo explained. “Most of the B’omarr who aren’t at the brain transference ceremony are off meditating right now, but I knew Grimpen would be here.”

Before Tash and Zak could respond, the lone monk rose to his feet, threw back his hood, and greeted them with a warm smile. His hair was gray, but his face looked young, and his eyes were bright and clear blue.

“Welcome, welcome!” the monk said with a hearty laugh. “It’s not often we get strangers in our halls. My name is Brother Grimpen. You can skip the Brother part if you like.”

Tash laughed. “Thanks. One brother’s enough for me, anyway.”

Zak frowned at her.

Tash ignored him and continued, “You’re much friendlier than the other monks we just met.”

Grimpen nodded sympathetically. “Many of our monks have lost their sense of politeness. Please forgive them.”

“Politeness!” Zak said. “I thought those monks would kill us when we went into that Great Room of Enlightenment!”

Beidlo cast an embarrassed look at the older monk. “It was my fault. I accidentally interrupted a brain transference ceremony.”

“Oh, that,” Grimpen said with a wave of his hand. “Some of the old-timers think everything has to be such a secret. It makes them grumpy. They don’t want outsiders getting hold of the B’omarr knowledge.”

“You don’t feel the same way?” Tash asked.

Grimpen looked into her eyes. She felt like she would fall into the deep blue of his gaze as he said, “I think knowledge should be for everyone. Wisdom may be found in many places. You, for instance. I sense that you are wise beyond your years.”

Zak groaned inwardly. Why was this monk trying so hard to compliment Tash?

Aloud, Zak said, “What’s all this about brain transference, anyway?”

Grimpen explained: “It’s part of the B’omarr tradition. We seal ourselves off from distractions so we can concentrate more on the mysteries of the universe. Over the years, we become more and more enlightened. When we reach a certain stage of enlightenment, our brains are transferred out of our bodies into glass jars.”