old image flashed across her mind. “You look familiar,” she said dreamily.
“I’m glad you noticed.” He gave her the handkerchief and set his palms on his knees. “We had a nice time discussing quantum physics on a flight to London. I was most interested in your invention … Apollo, I think you called it.”
“The smelly old man on the plane!” Ashley slapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“Of course you meant it, but I take no offense.”
“But why are you here now? How did you get in this staircase?”
“First things first.” The man extended his hand, palm up. “May I see the dime and two pennies?”
Ashley narrowed her eyes. “Dime and two pennies?”
“The coins your mother asked you to keep, the ones from the box she hid under the hearth.”
She dug into her jeans pocket and withdrew the coins. “How did you know about these?”
“As you might have guessed by now, I am far more than the smelly old man I appeared to be. I have been watching you for quite some time, and I said I would be with you throughout this part of your journey.”
She laid the coins in his palm. “Why are they so important?”
The man picked up the dime and eyed it closely. “I gave your father these coins when you were born. They were freshly minted then, so they bear the year of your birth.” He held one of the pennies in his fingertips so she could see the date. “Your mother already told you that the two pennies symbolize the two faithful witnesses, so rare in their faith, they are similar to the widow’s mites, the old woman’s precious gift to the temple treasury. In like fashion, the pennies represent your two greatest gifts, so the next time you exercise one of your gifts, be sure to hold one of these pennies in your hand to signify your willingness to use your gift sacrificially. Your faith in the Gift Giver will lead to your deliverance, and all things will be made whole.”
“You were the street vendor? A street vendor with a doctorate in physics?”
He dropped the coins into her jacket pocket and extended his hand. “Doctor Dan Allen. I have other names, but that one will do for now.”
Ashley took his hand. “I guess you already know my name. I”
Clump!
She jerked away and stiffened. “It’s coming!”
“Yes, I know. He is the Naphil whose leg fell prey to Walter’s sword. Though he walks now with the help of a staff he fashioned, he is quite dangerous.”
“But he was dead!”
“Is dead, you mean.”
Clump!
“What does he want?”
“To escape, but since he is quite stupid, he hasn’t figured out that he’s walking in an infinite loop. He will never be allowed to leave, because, as I told you, he is dead, and this is his home until the final judgment. But he is resting again, so we have some time to talk.”
Ashley wagged her head back and forth. “This doesn’t make sense. Nothing here makes sense. I need to get out of here.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“I’ll keep climbing.” She pushed her hand against the step and rose to a crouch. “This can’t be an infinite loop. The stairs have to lead somewhere.”
“They do lead somewhere.” Dr. Allen pointed at the stairs. “Back to this spot.”
She flopped back down and leaned against the wall, her head throbbing. “But that’s nonsense!”
“The concept of infinity seems to elude you, dear child. Perhaps believing in something truly infinite makes your brain choke.” He added a gentle laugh.
“I don’t find that amusing!” she barked, scowling.
“Yet you have used the same phrase many times to harvest smiles from your friends.”
Ashley pushed her hair out of her eyes and exhaled heavily. This guy had her nailed. It was almost like he had seen her life’s history in a movie. Softening her tone, she traced her finger along the Italian phrase etched in the wall. “Maybe, but you can’t have an infinite in a finite space. It’s impossible.”
“Isn’t the universe infinite?” he asked.
“No. It can’t be. Having something that goes on and on forever just isn’t conceivable.”
“What are the other options? If you could fly to the edge of the universe, would you run into a wall, a two-dimensional barrier with nothing on the other side, not even space? Or does the universe somehow loop back on itself like a strange spiral stairwell?”
Ashley laid a hand on her head. “Stop it! You’re making my head hurt!”