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Chapter 5: The Hierophant

Nine of us had set out in a group, for the swimming pool.

It would take about ten minutes to walk there. The city streets, of course, weren’t very safe - and night was coming soon. Without electricity, there were no streetlights, and the untold number of buildings around us would sit shrouded in darkness, once night fell. The city had gotten incredibly dangerous since the day of the bombings (and the collapse of society), but it was most dangerous at night.

As we walked, my friend Rex paid attention to everything, as was his way. The Great Dane looked around, at the empty and quiet streets. He looked up, at the tall buildings which were either empty or were home to squatters - we had no way of knowing which was the case. Once or twice, Julia attempted to start a conversation with Rex, as we walked. However, he was a bit distracted by his need to see everything around us.

Rex and I did not know Julia at all. This was, after all, only the second time we’d met this mysterious Greyhound. The first time, she had - under somewhat unusual circumstances - invited us to a party. I wasn’t able to figure her out. Her expression was usually guarded, I had noted. I wasn’t sure if she was interested in Rex, or if she was looking for friendship. Who knew, perhaps she was simply bored.

Nine of us had set out, having left behind the ruined art gallery, with eight of us following and Gunnar leading. Gunnar was a stocky Pit Bull, and we’d just met him a few moments earlier. He seemed friendly enough.

And he had invited us all to go swimming.

Because he knew of a place that had a pool.

And I thought to myself, well, why not go swimming? I looked at Rex, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing. Why not, indeed?

We were, all of us, concerned with survival, of course. Those of us who’d stayed. The - dozens? hundreds? thousands? - of us who’d stayed in the city, after the collapse, we were all busy with just surviving.

But folks still found ways to enjoy themselves, from time to time. Folks still went to parties, for example.

Julia’s invitation had reminded me of that.

And the city - well - even without power, the city was still the city. It was, among many other things, a playground full of ways to amuse yourself. To pass the time. To find some pleasure in a world of dangerous uncertainty.

We started out as nine, but we quickly became seven. A tall female Deer and an equally tall male Gazelle only had, it seemed, eyes for each other. Halfway to the pool, they said something to Gunnar, and then they slipped off into the shadows of early evening.

The rest of us continued walking, and soon we arrived in a neighborhood that had been, at one time, full of warehouses, small factories, and shops. However, over the course of the last ten years, nearly all of the warehouses and small factories had been converted into fancy apartments and condos. They looked very shiny and new, very expensive and sleek.

The sight of them was a bit depressing, for me.

Some in the city had felt those old warehouses and factories should have been left as they were. Others had seen the conversions as signs of progress. Either way, well, either way - however you felt about them - now they were empty. The wealthy owners of those apartments and condos had fled the city, as had so many others.

It was possible, of course, that squatters had moved in, just as it was also possible that some of those wealthy owners had stayed.

Still, they looked empty, as did most of the city’s buildings. Whether you celebrated the old or the new, it was tough (and a bit depressing) to see the beautiful architecture of this city empty and abandoned. Meant to be lived in, meant to be loved, the apartment buildings and condos now looked lost.

Anyway . . . Gunnar led us to a squat, one-story structure made of brick and stone. It looked old, weathered, and it sat between an equally weathered deli and an equally weathered coffee shop.

“I don’t know what this place used to be,” Gunnar said, as we stood and surveyed the old building. “The outside looks beat-up, but the inside looks great. Whoever owns it turned it into their personal apartment. C’mon.”

He produced a key from his pocket, and we all went inside.

“I got in through a window, first time I came here,” Gunnar explained. “Once I was in, I found this spare key in a desk drawer.”

“Why did you go in?” Rex asked, as he looked around at the apartment. “I mean, why choose this place to explore?”

“I was running from some gang members,” Gunnar said, casually, shrugging. “I went up on the roof of some place nearby, started walking fast from roof to roof. The other room - the one with the pool - has a skylight. So, I looked in, saw the pool . . . I dunno . . . I just felt like, I had to check it out.”

The first room was a studio apartment. It wasn’t huge, but I felt like there was enough space to create a bedroom. Just put some walls, temporary or otherwise. But, for whatever reason, the building’s owner had chosen to make it a studio. A bed was tucked into a corner, near several bookshelves. Another corner held a kitchen complete with shiny, expensive-looking appliances. In the middle of the space, two couches and a few chairs faced a flat-screen television.

An open door led to the second room - the one with the pool.

“You turned the lights on,” I said, suddenly realizing why I was able to see everything.

“There’s a generator,” Gunnar said, smiling. “Still, I never turn on the lights in this room. I got the windows fully covered, but I don’t wanna take any chances. You know?”

Rex and I knew, and we looked at each other, both of us nodding. We used candles to light the place where we were staying, but we didn’t light them unless we had the window covered up. We didn’t want anyone outside seeing the light, and knowing someone was in there.

Gunnar led us into the room with the pool.

“If it were me,” Gunnar was saying, “If I had money, and if I’d bought this place, I woulda turned this room into my bedroom slash private chill space. Big tv, video games, maybe a pool table. But - this is nice, too. Yeah?”

“It is really nice,” I said, honestly, and Gunnar looked proud of what he had found.

“I can’t swim for shit,” he said, “But I love this pool, for some reason.”

In the apartment, it was clear that the owner - whoever he, she, or they were - had spent most of the renovation budget on the kitchen. However, putting in a pool must have been expensive, as well. The tiles were comfortable and slip-resistant, and they were the color of the sand on a beach. The walls had been painted ocean blue. The pool itself was well-constructed.

“Are there any swimsuits?” The Beagle suddenly spoke up. It was, perhaps, the second thing she’d said since leaving the art gallery.

“No,” Gunnar replied, puzzled by the question. “But we can swim in our underwear.”

“No way!” The Beagle objected. I think her name was - Rene? Something like that. ‘I”m not doing that. I just assumed there’d be swimsuits.”

“Why would you assume that?” Julia asked, clearly amused.

“I just did,” the Beagle said. Then something occurred to her. “Are you telling me, someone put a pool in their apartment, and there are no suits?”

“There are exactly two swimsuits, in a drawer somewhere,” Gunnar replied. “Both for a male. Both designed for a human - no hole in the back for tails.” He looked at me. “You can try them on, if you want,” he said, to me, with a friendly smile. “But I warn you - they’re pretty small. Very revealing, if you know what I mean.”

The Beagle was agitated. She turned and looked at the Boxer, who was either her friend or her boyfriend. I didn’t know either of them - they’d been at the art gallery, and they’d accepted Gunnar’s invitation.

“It’ll be fine,” the Boxer - I think his name started with an S - spoke up, trying to reassure the Beagle.

“No, it won’t be fine,” the Beagle protested, strongly. “Let’s just - let’s just go, okay? Let’s find something else to do.” She looked at the Boxer.

“Okay,” the Boxer replied. He looked at the pool, then he took the Beagle’s hand. Gunnar walked them to the door.

Once they were gone, Gunnar locked the door. He turned off the lights in the apartment.

And thus we were five, standing in front of the pool. The smell of chlorine wafted up at us.

“Well, great,” Julia said, with a slight smile. “Now I’m the only female here. You go ahead, jump in the pool, I’ll just keep my clothes on.”

“Your choice,” Gunnar said. He kicked off his chunky boots, then he quickly took off his shirt and his jeans. He tossed them casually on a chair. The Pit Bull had light brown fur, but there was a white patch that started on his neck. With his shirt off, I could see the whole of the patch - it was nearly star-shaped, and the most southern point almost went to his navel.

Stripped down to his underwear, Gunnar jumped into the pool.

Rex and I looked at each other again.

“I’m going in,” I said. I began taking off my clothes.

“So am I,” Rex said. He looked at Julia. “Are you sure . . .”

Julia said nothing. She looked at the pool with an expression I could not read (of course, that was true of most of her expressions).

The fifth member of our group was a Wolf who had, so far, mostly remained silent. His name was Ario (a somewhat unusual name) and we had met him for the first time at the art gallery. I would later learn that he’d been a college student when everything fell. He, too, began disrobing.

Soon, Rex, Ario, and I were down to our underwear, just as Gunnar was. The Pit Bull was somewhere in the middle of the pool, floating around. Rex and Cole sat down on the edge, putting their feet, then legs, in the water first. Slowly, they lowered themselves into the pool. I went to the deep end. I knelt down, placing a hand in the water, to check the temperature. It was warmer than I expected. I stood up, took in a deep breath, then I jumped in.

When I came back up, Julia was standing by the deep end, not far away.

“Oh, fuck it,” she said.

She took off her bulky jacket, revealing an oversized and bulky t-shirt with long sleeves. When she started pulling that off, I looked away, I turned my attention to the warm waters surrounding me. When I turned back, to Julia, she had put on a different t-shirt, a plain, black one (which she had pulled from her backpack). She took off her shoes and socks, then her jeans, and then . . .

Then she dove into the pool. It was like something a professional would do. The dive was clean, neat, precise. Her form was perfection itself. When she entered the water, there was barely any splash. She swam the entire length of the pool, under the surface of the water. When she emerged, down at the other end, she found four pairs of eyes staring at her.

“What?” she asked, with a smile. As if the four of us had not just witnessed something truly impressive.

“Where did you learn that?” Rex asked.

The Greyhound simply shrugged, in reply.

“Can you teach us how to do that?” Was Rex’s next question.

“I can try, if you like,” Julia said.

“I’ve never been able to dive in headfirst, like that,” Rex said. “I just can’t, for some reason. But I would like to learn how to swim better.”

“We can work on some things, if you want to,” Julia said.

“Hey, this is play, not work,” Gunnar said, with a friendly smile. He splashed some water at Ario, who playfully splashed back.

I began floating on my back, in the middle of the deep end. I felt very calm, suddenly, very serene, as the soothing effect of the warm water washed over me. I looked up, remembering that Gunnar had mentioned a skylight. And there it was - it was huge, taking up a large portion of the ceiling. I didn’t know if Gunnar was squatting in this place, or if he just went there to swim. Either way, he should cover up the skylight, I knew. It would be a shame, but it would have to be done. Gunnar had found this place because of the skylight - and others would, as well, eventually.

Still, it was a nice thing to have. The city was now so dark, without its many lights. Floating on my back, looking up, I could see the evening sky, through the skylight. The stars would come out, later, and I looked forward to seeing that.

I also found myself doing a sort of compare and contrast - the peaceful and serene sky above, the chaotic city below.

Heaven and earth, I thought to myself.

I could hear Gunnar and Ario splashing about. I was aware that Rex and Julia swam by me, a few times, on their way from one end of the pool to the other. Rex knew the basics of swimming, and Julia was teaching him some more advanced techniques. Mostly, I thought my thoughts and floated.

Eventually, I, too, swam a few laps, back and forth, and then I pulled myself out. I looked at the dozen or so deck chairs, then I decided I wanted to sit on the edge of the pool, with my feet in the water.

After a minute, Ario came over and sat next to me, on my left.

“Done swimming?” he asked.

“For now,” I replied. “You?”

“I’ll go back in pretty soon. I can’t really swim, I just like to float around. It just feels so good - you know? Being in a pool, in the water. I think it makes sense. Water is just so . . . primal. Right? So primordial.”

Gunnar emerged from the pool, shaking water from his fur. He went to one of the chairs, where a stack of towels was casually piled up. He grabbed a few of those, then went to a nearby cooler for three cans of beer.

I noted that Rex and Julia were still doing laps.

Gunnar handed both a towel and a beer to myself and Ario, then he sat down next to me, on my right. His dark blue underwear, still wet (of course) from the pool, clung to his wet fur.

“Primor - what?” Gunnar asked Ario, smiling, amused.

“Primordial,” Ario replied, wrapping his towel around his shoulders. “Ancient. Or, you know, the first thing. I throw around big words, sometimes.” He chuckled, drank some beer. “Showing off my education.”

“You went to college?” Gunnar asked.

“I was in college - senior year - when everything happened.” For a moment, Ario looked wistful, if not sad.

“What did you major in?” I asked him, hoping it was a good question. Everyone had lost - well - everything, when society toppled over like a row of dominoes. Apparently, Ario had lost college. Asking him about it could either make him happy, or send him into depression.

“Religious studies,” the young Wolf replied, with a slight smile. “Last year, I wrote a paper on water in religion - you know, as a symbol, or in rituals like baptism.”

“That sounds fascinating,” I said. “And it sounds like there’d be a whole lot of stuff to talk about.”

“Yeah. My paper was sort of all over the place. I really should’ve focused on one thing, but oh well. I just found the topic so interesting. I mean, you know, aside from using water in rituals, there are holy rivers, holy lakes . . .”

“There are water gods and goddesses,” I noted.

“Yeah!” Ario looked enthused. “And there are religions that have water or a flood somewhere in their mythology. It was a huge paper.”

“Are you religious?” Gunnar asked. He looked at Ario, then at me.

“My parents believed in the Seven,” Ario replied. “But we never went to the temple, for services, or for anything else. They told me to keep an open mind. And I . . . I’m not sure what I believe. I think there’s some kind of deity out there.”

“Some kind?”

Ario shrugged.

“There’s some kind of higher power, is what I believe,” he said. “I just don’t know what form it takes, or what exactly it is.”

“What about you?” Gunnar asked me.

I decided to be honest.

“I grew up in a small town in the North,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual. I was grateful when neither Gunnar nor Ario flinched or said anything. “There were some Christians there, like my parents, and some Protestants. But most folks in town follow the Antediluvian Church. Those folks - you know how they are - they look down on anyone who follows other faiths. My parents had some respect, some status, because of their jobs. But they couldn’t buy one of the ‘best’ houses in town, and they couldn’t send me to the ‘best’ school.”

“That’s rough,” Ario said, sympathy in his voice.

“Yeah. Well, I left when I was sixteen. Soon as I was legally able to do that, I was out of there.” I drank, chasing away certain memories.

“You know,” Gunnar said. “You two were talking about baptism earlier? I could always baptise you into my religion.”

Before I could say anything, Gunnar reached into the pool. He scooped up a large handful of water, which he splashed in my face.

Surprised, I nearly fell backwards, clutching my beer and laughing.

Gunnar reached back into the pool, for water to splash on Ario - but Ario saw it coming. Ario met water with water, and soon he and Gunnar were both laughing like I was, as they splashed water at each other.

“This is my church, the church of let’s get drunk and have some fun,” Gunnar said, still laughing, as he slid into the pool. Somehow, he kept his can of beer above the surface.

Ario and I followed him into the water.

It can be easy to forget, when life (or the world) get weird or scary, that you are still in your early twenties, still young. And let’s face it - males in their early twenties are not much different from males at thirteen, or fourteen.

For the first time in ages, I felt young again, as the three of us wrestled and splashed around, near the shallow end of the pool.

Gunnar was waving at Rex and Julia, telling them to get some beer and join us.

I looked up, briefly, at the skylight, just in time to see the stars begin to emerge in the night sky.