Shownotes
The quest for The Gardens hangs in the balance. And on the horizon, at the edge of the night, a spirit is dancing into the light.
Today’s story is the second and final part of “...and the Sands of the Desert Wash Over the Words” by Pascal Farful, who has caused a shortage in spandex and latex for various reasons that can’t be gone into here. Sorry about that. This story was published in the anthology “In the Light of the Dawn” by the Furry Historical Fiction Society.
Last time, Agathocles and Kleomenes fled the kingdom of Selucia into the wilderness with a stolen map to what Agathocles thinks is the lost Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Unbeknownst to them, they left just in time. The kingdom has fallen, and those who were loyal to Zeuxis, Agothocles’s former ruler, may have decided he is responsible.
Read for you by Rob MacWolf — werewolf hitchhiker.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/-and-the-sands-of-the-desert-wash-over-the-words-by-pascal-farful-part-2-of-2
Transcripts
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:This is Rob MacWolf, your fellow traveler,
Speaker:and Today’s story
Speaker:is the second and final part of “...
Speaker:“...and the Sands of the Desert Wash Over the Words”
Speaker:by Pascal Farful,
Speaker:who has caused a shortage in spandex and latex for various reasons that can’t be gone into here.
Speaker:Sorry about that.
Speaker:This story was published in the anthology “In the Light of the Dawn”
Speaker:by Furry Historical Fiction Society.
Speaker:Last time, Agathocles and Kleomenes
Speaker:fled the kingdom of Selucia into the wilderness
Speaker:with a stolen map to what Agathocles thinks is the lost Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Speaker:Unbeknownst to them,
Speaker:they left just in time.
Speaker:The kingdom has fallen,
Speaker:and those who were loyal to Zeuxis, Agothocles’s former ruler,
Speaker:may have decided he is responsible.
Speaker:Please enjoy “Story Title” by Authorname, Part 2 of 2 Up on a hill, as night began to fall, they spotted another refuge.
Speaker:“That farm. It looks abandoned, I think we can sleep there.” Agathocles suggested.
Speaker:“I concur.” Kleomenes said.
Speaker:“There might even be food there still.”
Speaker:There was not. The fields had long gone unplowed.
Speaker:The crops had died and
Speaker:desert plants had grown in their stead.
Speaker:They walked through the overgrown fields, before dropping down hard on the tough ground beside the old farmhouse,
Speaker:letting it be shade from the setting sun.
Speaker:“Brave is the man who builds a farm out here.”
Speaker:The mouse muttered.
Speaker:“Brave or desperate.” Kleomenes agreed. As Agothocles took shelter, he once again
Speaker:saw a bizarre phrase,
Speaker:this time carved into the damaged building.
Speaker:"Let infinite feast be bestowed upon mortals,
Speaker:bounty enough to feed all." “Can…
Speaker:can you see this?”
Speaker:The mouse said, nudging Kleomenes.
Speaker:The rat leaned over and read the text.
Speaker:“I can, I suppose it’s just a prayer for the good of the
Speaker:farm. Does it mean something else to you?” Agathocles looked away.
Speaker:“No. No it doesn't.”
Speaker:He lied. He didn’t know what it all meant.
Speaker:But it meant something.
Speaker:The gods didn’t play games.
Speaker:After such a walk, the pair succumbed to their slumber quickly.
Speaker:Too quickly. “There he is!”
Speaker:“Forget him! His blood carries a pitiful price!
Speaker:Make them starve to death!”
Speaker:The mouse shuddered awake to see two bedraggled Greek panthers on horseback
Speaker:amassed before them. “No!” Agathocles shouted, stumbling to his feet.
Speaker:In his disoriented rage, he hurled himself at the nearest horse.
Speaker:The beast staggered, but stayed upright.
Speaker:Its rider swung with his sword, the blade missing the mouse’s flesh but catching on his robe,
Speaker:dragging him face-first down into the
Speaker:dirt. Kleomenes drew his sword,
Speaker:but was held firm by the bow trained on his temple.
Speaker:“Zeuxis is slain, thanks to you.
Speaker:Where are your Parthian allies now?”
Speaker:One of the panthers shouted, throwing down a large sack.
Speaker:The other had picked up their bag of supplies and hurled it onto the back of his horse.
Speaker:“Seleucia’s blood is on your hands.
Speaker:Be grateful there is no-one left alive to collect on your head!”
Speaker:The attackers turned away and fled to the north west,
Speaker:one of them carrying the rodent’s pack of supplies through the blade of
Speaker:their sword. Kleomenes remained still, but his eyes drifted away from the cloud of dust, to the sack,
Speaker:and to Agathocles.
Speaker:Stunned betrayal welled up behind his eyes.
Speaker:The rat scrambled across the sand to pick up the large sack the panthers had left.
Speaker:As the rat lifted it, the silver fox’s severed head
Speaker:tumbled out and began to roll down the bloody dunes.
Speaker:“By Zeus…” Finally, the mouse rose to his knees, the tattered remains of his robe dangling from his
Speaker:form. “Agathocles…” Kleomenes began slowly. “Yes? Are you hurt?” The mouse replied. The rat took a deep breath.
Speaker:“They said you made a deal with the Parthian king to ensure the demise of Seleucia.
Speaker:Is that true?” Kleomenes asked slowly. Agathocles growled. “I made no such deal!”
Speaker:“You stole a scroll from the academy library.
Speaker:You led me out here on our own…”
Speaker:The rat turned to meet the mouse’s gaze.
Speaker:“Either you saved me from a death you knew was coming,
Speaker:or… or…” “Or I knew nothing about it, and Zeuxis was a fool!”
Speaker:The mouse protested.
Speaker:Kleomenes took another deep breath.
Speaker:“Perhaps. Regardless, we have more problems.”
Speaker:The rat said. “Our supplies are gone.
Speaker:Surely, this is our last day on the Gods’ land.” Agathocles summoned his strength and managed to stand up again.
Speaker:He reached down into the ruined remains of his robe and pulled out the scrap of parchment with the map on.
Speaker:Was it really worth it?
Speaker:To starve to death in the middle of the desert?
Speaker:They stepped out past the farm and onto the plains.
Speaker:And as they stared across the hazy horizon, the mouse’s
Speaker:heart shuddered to a stop. He could
Speaker:see it. No. Impossible.
Speaker:He blinked. It was still there.
Speaker:Slowly, Agathocles raised his arm outstretched.
Speaker:“There.” He whispered.
Speaker:Kleomenes turned and followed his arm,
Speaker:eyes resting upon a shape on the horizon.
Speaker:A stone pyramid. The Hanging Gardens
Speaker:of Babylon. “Gods be praised…”
Speaker:Kleomenes whispered.
Speaker:“But we have no water, no food.”
Speaker:“The gardens. They are food, they are water.”
Speaker:Agathocles whispered,
Speaker:starting to step towards the shape.
Speaker:“We won’t make it.” Kleomenes said firmly. Agathocles stopped.
Speaker:He stared at the gardens.
Speaker:They seemed to stare back at him.
Speaker:He turned to his lover.
Speaker:“Then I wish to die on the journey.” Agathocles tried to tie parts of his garment back together,
Speaker:determined to carry on.
Speaker:Kleomenes took a deep breath,
Speaker:looking between his lover and the Hanging Gardens in the distance.
Speaker:“Let us do it together.”
Speaker:He said at last. The mouse stopped fumbling with his ruined robe
Speaker:and stared into the rat’s eyes.
Speaker:“You believe me?” “I do.
Speaker:Under the shadow of The Gardens, how could I do anything less?”
Speaker:The rat placed his hands over the rat’s,
Speaker:guiding them aside and
Speaker:proceeding to rip what was left of the mouse’s garment off completely.
Speaker:“Embrace it.” He whispered with a smile.
Speaker:“If we fall before the gods on our quest, allow us to enter the house of Hades as we entered this life.” -
Speaker:Side by side, hand in hand, they walked into the dawn,
Speaker:eyes fixed upon The Gardens as they grew slowly but surely
Speaker:bigger before them.
Speaker:Naked, Agathocles had only
Speaker:Kleomenes’ hoplon to protect him
Speaker:from the full brunt of the sun and the sand, but still he walked.
Speaker:What he had lost in equipment he now had in spirit.
Speaker:The legends of The Gardens. They were true.
Speaker:It was all true. - Over a dune, they caught sight of the lake.
Speaker:The one they’d have to cross without the aid of a bridge.
Speaker:Beyond the lake, over the rolling sands, the Gardens of Babylon stood proud on the horizon.
Speaker:They could almost see the green leaves dangling from its stone structure.
Speaker:“I can’t believe
Speaker:it.” Kleomenes muttered. “It’s… real.” Agathocles nodded.
Speaker:“Come, we’ll reach the river by sundown.”
Speaker:The pair walked down the hills of sand and rough grass as the sun set.
Speaker:They arrived at the river under a purple sky.
Speaker:The moon and the stars
Speaker:sparkled and reflected in the river.
Speaker:As if the very magic of life was blooming in this place.
Speaker:Upon arrival, the pair drank heartily from it.
Speaker:Finally satisfied, Kleomenes raised his head.
Speaker:“You said there’d be a crossing.
Speaker:crossing.” “Yes.” Agathocles replied, staring around.
Speaker:“Normally there is a furrow worn in the bank, where
Speaker:many men have marched across,
Speaker:but such an untouched land begets no such thing.”
Speaker:The pair rose and began to walk the bank of the river.
Speaker:The water flowed calmly, but looks were deceiving.
Speaker:Indeed, how deep is a mystic river?
Speaker:Their answer was soon discovered.
Speaker:“There, can you see? The land through
Speaker:the water.” Kleomenes called, pointing downstream.
Speaker:There, the reflecting purple water seemed to thin out, a pale patch of sediment visible through it.
Speaker:“Probably little more than knee-deep. I think we can ford that.”
Speaker:Their arrival confirmed this.
Speaker:“The water is faster here.”
Speaker:The rat warned. “But if we are steady, we can cross.” He said.
Speaker:“Indeed, we can also wash here too.
Speaker:too.” Agathocles suggested. Kleomenes agreed. The rat undressed and they both eased gently into the water,
Speaker:to bathe and wash.
Speaker:He lay his tunic on the riverbank,
Speaker:the pair together in the buff under the rising moon, the setting sun and the billions of stars.
Speaker:Alone, but welcomed warmly to the lap of the Gods.
Speaker:The business of cleanliness held their attention only briefly in the middle of the shallow river crossing.
Speaker:Their arms around one another, they stood staring longingly into each other’s eyes.
Speaker:The water flowed between their knees, warm and soft around their achy bones and once-bedraggled fur.
Speaker:With the grace of the river water, their fur was now soft and wet.
Speaker:Warm and gentle. Affection was gratuitous
Speaker:and encouraged in great amounts by the silent spirits on the whispering wind.
Speaker:“How is something so beautiful so hidden?
Speaker:So many people walked this land, yet such a treasure remained a mystery?”
Speaker:Kleomenes whispered.
Speaker:“You are much like the gardens;”
Speaker:Agathocles replied.
Speaker:“More beautiful, wonderful and delightful than my dreams could have ever foreseen.”
Speaker:The rat stammered and blushed.
Speaker:“My prayer to Aphrodite Cepoïs didn’t go unanswered.
Speaker:If anything I feel guilt for just what she has bestowed upon me.”
Speaker:The mouse smiled, coiling his tail around Kleomenes’s own,
Speaker:then easing one of his thighs around the rat’s own.
Speaker:Warm fur wrapped around warm fur. Warm skin against warm skin.
Speaker:“Come lay with me and love me.”
Speaker:Agathocles requested. Kleomenes nodded,
Speaker:licking the mouse’s tongue.
Speaker:Then, he eased him down into the soft mud of the riverbank.
Speaker:The pleasures of Aphrodite lasted throughout the night. By morning’s light,
Speaker:the pair were ready to travel on.
Speaker:As they collected themselves, Agathocles’ eyes were once again drawn
Speaker:to mysterious text.
Speaker:This time carved into the riverbank
Speaker:just next to where they had bred.
Speaker:"Of this would the poor and the destitute, behold not a single grain."
Speaker:Kleomenes didn’t bother with his tunic.
Speaker:He had nothing of value in it.
Speaker:He and the mouse walked onwards as bare as they had arrived in the world.
Speaker:This day they would reach the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. -
Speaker:The closer they got, the larger and grander it seemed to get.
Speaker:There was a strange tingling in the air.
Speaker:That tingling had been there at the river, but now it was stronger.
Speaker:Far stronger. What had been dry and dusty air soon
Speaker:started to get ever so slightly humid.
Speaker:The sand eased away and the grass, once short and dusty became thicker,
Speaker:taller and softer underfoot.
Speaker:Large trees and vines sprouted around them.
Speaker:Water dripped from them.
Speaker:They were upon the gardens.
Speaker:The onward strides they took
Speaker:met a path, formed naturally by gaps between trees and plants.
Speaker:Down the path, the trees eased over them and plants rose up, as if to cradle and hold the pair.
Speaker:Bright, ripe fruits dangled from stems ready to be picked.
Speaker:“Don’t take anything.”
Speaker:Kleomenes whispered.
Speaker:“The Gardens are sacred, we must not steal.”
Speaker:Agathocles nodded.
Speaker:“Why?” The pair froze.
Speaker:Without realising it, they had arrived at the foot of the stone gardens.
Speaker:A marble megalopolis,
Speaker:coated in plants and nature.
Speaker:Teeming, joyous and proud with life.
Speaker:From a balcony above the entrance stood
Speaker:a figure. Agathocles couldn’t tell if they had
Speaker:a species or a gender.
Speaker:Scent was of no use either.
Speaker:There were so many plants and fruits flooding his senses that he couldn’t get a hold of the figure’s scent.
Speaker:He wagered they were a mammal,
Speaker:but perhaps they were more than
Speaker:that. A god. “Wh-what?” Kleomenes stuttered.
Speaker:“Why would it be stealing?”
Speaker:The figure asked softly.
Speaker:“Because… because this land is sacred.
Speaker:You can’t just… take
Speaker:from The Gods.” The figure mulled, then smiled.
Speaker:“Do I look like Zeus to you?”
Speaker:Kleomenes’ shoulders dropped.
Speaker:“No… No, you don’t.” “Then why would his laws apply here?”
Speaker:The figure asked.
Speaker:“Take what shall sustain you,
Speaker:and not a grain of rice more.”
Speaker:The pair nodded and each picked a fruit from the trees next to them and
Speaker:began to eat. The taste was new, different
Speaker:and otherworldly.
Speaker:The one fruit satisfied each of them and, while it was appealing to taste more,
Speaker:the thought of doing so felt deeply obscene and vulgar.
Speaker:They had come this far, to fall at the first trial would be pitiful.
Speaker:The figure appeared before them.
Speaker:The only describable features were the black fur,
Speaker:a majestic gait and focused but unthreatening gaze.
Speaker:“Do you know the message?”
Speaker:They asked. The pair blinked and looked at one another.
Speaker:“What do you mean?”
Speaker:The mouse asked nervously.
Speaker:“You must know the message.”
Speaker:The figure said firmly.
Speaker:“Your travels were long and arduous, but you could not be so blind as to miss it, could you?”
Speaker:Suddenly, Agathocles remembered.
Speaker:"The great among men reap plentiful harvest, yet thousands are left with crumbs."
Speaker:"Let infinite feast be bestowed upon mortals, bounty enough to feed all."
Speaker:"Of this would the poor and the destitute, behold not a single grain.
Speaker:grain." He recited. The figure smiled.
Speaker:“Very good.” They stepped aside, revealing the entrance to the garden.
Speaker:“You may enter.”
Speaker:“And my lover?” The mouse asked.
Speaker:“Of course.” As the two began to step forth, the figure stopped them.
Speaker:“There is… but one condition to your entry.”
Speaker:They said. “Once you enter the gardens, you may never return to the world from which you came.”
Speaker:The two gulped. “Why is that?”
Speaker:Kleomenes asked. “Your lover just told you.” “"The
Speaker:great among men reap plentiful harvest, yet thousands are left with crumbs. Let infinite feast be bestowed upon mortals, bounty enough to feed all. Of this would the poor and the destitute, behold not a single grain."” Kleomenes repeated. “If Zeuxis found the gardens…
Speaker:he would have hoarded it…”
Speaker:“Astute understanding.”
Speaker:The figure smiled.
Speaker:“But it is not limited to your slain governor.
Speaker:The gardens can only be found by people who will not abuse its power.”
Speaker:Agathocles gulped
Speaker:“And you know we wouldn’t because…”
Speaker:“Because your mortal home is burned to ash.
Speaker:Your governor is dead.
Speaker:And your lover will surely be executed alongside yourself by your Seleucian king.
Speaker:If there still is one.
Speaker:And indeed, the Parthians would have no reason to trust a pair of Seleucians talking of The Gardens, would they?”
Speaker:The two looked at one another.
Speaker:“And what happens if we leave?” Kleomenes asked.
Speaker:“If you choose to return
Speaker:to Seleucia, your memories of the Garden will be lost forever.
Speaker:As far as you will know, the Gardens will have been a myth.
Speaker:And the map, just the ramblings of a madman.”
Speaker:“You placed the map in the library of the Academy…”
Speaker:Agathocles muttered.
Speaker:“Why of course. Hoping for someone suitable to find it.”
Speaker:“And you stopped Castor from realising I had stolen
Speaker:it.” “Oh, Castor knew.” “Then why didn’t he stop me?”
Speaker:The figure laughed.
Speaker:“I’m not going to reveal every one of Castor’s secrets.
Speaker:The honourable dead get to keep their pride.” Agathocles gulped.
Speaker:He didn’t want to think about Castor’s death.
Speaker:He cleared his throat, then looked over to Kleomenes.
Speaker:“What do you think?” The rat took the mouse’s hands in his own.
Speaker:“You came here to find The Gardens.
Speaker:You said you wanted to find it to impress the Seleucid king.
Speaker:But you are dead to him now,
Speaker:either because of the siege of Seleucia, or because he believes you caused it.” Kleomenes smiled. “We have nothing to lose by entering.” Agathocles nodded and kissed Kleomenes again.
Speaker:“I love you.” “I love you too.”
Speaker:The pair turned to the figure.
Speaker:“We wish to live forever in The Gardens.”
Speaker:The figure smiled and gestured them forth.
Speaker:They stepped forward,
Speaker:hand in hand, walking through the stone archway
Speaker:and into The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. -
Speaker:At one time, the new Parthian king had wondered
Speaker:the fate of Agathocles and Kleomenes,
Speaker:the two that Zeuxis had insisted
Speaker:in his dying breath had been working in his pocket. ‘Perhaps
Speaker:their bodies had been swallowed by the sand.’
Speaker:He thought. ‘Perhaps they were still in Seleucia, hiding somewhere among them.
Speaker:them.’ ‘Perhaps the late Castor’s tale that they were headed for the
Speaker:Gardens of Babylon was true.’
Speaker:Perhaps. This was the second and final part of “Story Title” by Author Name,
Speaker:read for you by READER, with CALLSIGN.
Speaker:As always, you can find more stories
Speaker:on the web at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog.