The Strange Treasures of Gramma Zulov: The Wheel of the Han

By Alex Ross Carol

Willie uncovers an ancient wheel in the bottom of Gramma's trunk of strange things, and what he discovers will change his life forever. Quickly, he finds the device fascinating and alluring. Then, tragedy strikes the family. Willie -- now a young man -- finds that the power of the wheel can be either a blessing or a curse.
The Wheel of the Han comes down from the legends of the Han Dynasty in China, practiced some two thousand years ago. Once spun, the wheel yields numbers that offer its spinner either fame and fortune or sadness and ruin. They don’t know their fate lies elsewhere until it is too late.
Ridding himself and the family of the round talisman, Willie finds it won't disappear so easily, and he quickly becomes embroiled in an international incident involving the wheel – one that threatens peace between nations as well as that in the Middle East.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue M Publishing
• Release date: Dec 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463044193

Alex Ross Carol

Alex Ross Carol is a pen name of the author who uses it for books he creates of a certain genre. Mr. Carol has written fantasy and adventure novels. He lives with his family in Chicago.

Book preview

CH 1 The Chase

Shanghai, China

December 2, 2035

(Flash Forward)

Hang on, Will, Jack said, stomping on the gas.

The cab flew through the intersection swerving to avoid oncoming cars. It cut in and out of traffic so fast that Will hardly had time to react.

Slow down! shouted Will, gripping one of the plastic handrings mounted above the window next to the front car seat. You're going to get us killed!

Ignoring the warning, Jack only pushed harder on the accelerator. The taxi bottomed out, scraping the undercarriage as they raced along the wide tree-lined streets of Shanghai.

If we lose them, I’m afraid we’ll lose Shannon too, said Jack. Oddly, there was a calm that had come over him as he took control of the cab. He was somehow in his own element.

Behind them, they could hear the wailing of Chinese police cars as they were now following them in hot pursuit. Jack gripped the leather-wrapped steering wheel even harder, the whites of his knuckles popping clearly atop the car’s round rudder.

Look out! screamed Will, closing his eyes.

Jack jerked the steering wheel, sending the car up and over a curb and careening into several small tent-like polls that snapped off like toothpicks in rapid succession. The pole shafts went flying in all directions as the car sped on.

I suppose we’ll have to pay extra for that, said Jack with a wry smile. It was clear he was on a mission, but there was a level of enjoyment he was getting from it as well.

Ahead was the same style green taxi they were pursuing. It too had gone across to the wrong side of the street to avoid traffic but now had shifted back to the right side, weaving in and out of traffic and causing accidents all over in its wake.

It was then Jack saw two white police cars dead ahead, stretched across the roadway and blocking their path. With their red-and-blue emergency lights rotating on top of their cars, the Shanghai officers stood outside their vehicles, directing traffic to the side of the street to move them out of the way. None had their guns drawn, and none were ready for what happened next.

*****

CH 2 Textbook Images

Washington, D.C., 2034

(Present Time)

Three years had come and gone since the extraordinary adventure below the shifting sands of the Egyptian desert. There, Willie and his family had found a hidden sea and the underwater colony of Atlantis. Having saved the civilization from extermination in the aftermath of an earthquake, the Curtis family had tried to get on with their lives, not breathing a word to anyone about what they had found.

As for Willie and Shannon, they were still friends, but they had drifted apart, each going off to separate universities to study areas of their own interest. Willie had matriculated to George Mason University in Washington; while Shannon had gone to Brown University in Providence. They were now freshmen having fun and enjoying some of the best times of their lives. Daniel was about to graduate from Georgetown University and was planning to enter its prestigious law school and specialize in patent law.

As for their mother Raya, she and Jack Morris, her long-time friend, had gotten back together and had been dating steadily the previous three years. They had run into each other at a formal gala put on by the Department of Education and The American University where she worked. She had left her position at the Smithsonian to resume her teaching career. Each had other dates at the time, but after spotting each other at one of many makeshift bars at the event, they quickly re-connected. Things had always been serious between them; yet jobs, cities, and life’s detours had often gotten in the way. Raya had married a co-worker of Jack’s, Benjamin Curtis, and together they had raised two boys, Daniel and Willie. It had only been after Benjamin’s death that Raya had reached out to Jack for comfort and solace even though they lived and worked a thousand miles apart.

Now, life was going well for the family, settling into the refined, polished lifestyle of those who lived in Washington, D.C. Raya had her new circle of friends at the university, Daniel, his buddies at Georgetown, and Willie, trying to be included in the right social groups at the high school. They talked freely with others about almost everything – almost everything. The one thing they vowed never to discuss was their adventure to Lake Parime and the Atlantis colony below the sands of Giza. It was better for all involved – for them and certainly for the people and civilization of Atlantis.

This day was a day as-usual for Willie who was sitting in class staring out the window while the blue sky beckoned outside. It was October – a time when the trees began their annual ritual of painting their leaves brilliant colors before the approaching winter season.

Willie, what would you have said to Zeno about his paradox of Achilles and the tortoise? asked the teacher.

Willie sat up in his chair and looked at the instructor with a blank stare. Uh, I’m sorry, but would you repeat the question?

The teacher grimaced, puckering his lips and narrowing his eyes. But instead of reprimanding the young man, he turned and pointed to another student who had raised her hand. Yes, Camille?

I’d tell him that he wasn’t considering the time element in his thinking. He was only looking at the distances involved. Achilles, of course, will overtake the tortoise because the time to travel the distances for Achilles is much less than that of the tortoise, she answered.

That is correct, said the educator with an acknowledged nod. The Greek philosopher Zeno did not take into consideration the element of time. However, some believe his point was more philosophical than dealing with just the physical properties of the two contestants …

The teacher prattled on, and Willie listened for a time. But again, he lost interest and began looking at his computer tablet which he had opened to his class textbook. In the corner of the page, he noticed a grouping of pictures of Greek antiquities, artifacts uncovered from archeological digs in and around Delphi. In the cluster were images of armless, marble statues, silver coins, winged seraphs, and other relics, but also presented were pieces that defied description.

Curious, Willie began flipping through the pages of the online textbook, scanning the images that popped up. Toward the back, he saw another collage of photographs – these pieces too defied description, but all were cited to date back to a very ancient dynasty of China.

Mr. Sangioni? asked Willie, interrupting the class as he belatedly held up his hand.

Surprised, the teacher glanced over at his sometimes-wayward pupil.

Willie, do you have something to say?

Yes, Mr. Sangioni. What are these pictures in the textbook on page 176 … the ones of relics from the Han Dynasty?

Mr. Sangioni rolled his eyes.

Willie, we’re in the middle of discussing Zeno and his contribution to ancient Greek philosophy. Now, where was I? Mr. Sangioni resumed his lecture, but within a few moments the buzzer sounded indicating that class had ended for the day.

Remember, your drafts on Epicurus are due Thursday! he said as the students filed out. But, as Willie gathered his backpack, the instructor called him over.

Willie, what was that all about? You were completely distracted, and you interrupted the class to ask about some pictures rather than paying attention to what we were discussing in class. I really don’t want to see that happen again. Do you understand?

Sorry, said Willie. I guess I’m preoccupied.

What’s going on? asked his teacher.

I dunno. I think it’s just one of those days, but I won’t let it happen again.

On the way back to the house, Willie couldn’t help but think about those photographs from China and the strange pieces in the collage. Those things reminded him of something he had seen someplace before, and he knew exactly where to look. That trunk of Gramma Zulov, he thought.

As Daniel was studying at the Georgetown library and his mother was attending a faculty meeting late in the day at The American University, there was no one in the house when Willie pulled into the driveway. Rushing inside, he threw is Dodger-blue knapsack on the floor and hurried to his bedroom. There, he made a beeline to his closet and dug deeply through the pile of smelly, dirty clothes, old basketballs, scuffed baseballs. worn bats, flip-flops, and some crushed coke cans to get to the old trunk hidden away deep inside. His mother had told him to get rid of it years earlier, and he had meant to do just that but had just never gotten around to it. She had said she would get rid of everything -- throw every last piece into the dumpster if she ever saw the trunk again. So, Willie had kept it hidden.

He opened the lid and peered inside. Everything was as it was three years earlier when he had packed things neatly and securely with tissue paper and stashed the entire box in the back corner of his closet. Now, he began pulling things out, peeling away layers of tissue paper to reveal what treasures still lay inside. As he unwrapped each piece, he quickly scanned it to see if it were from Asia and from some ancient era. But when it wasn’t, he just as rapidly rewrapped it, sticking it back into the trunk.

Then, he thought he heard a sound. He stopped, dead still, and listened. After a few seconds of silence, he continued, uncovering other treasures buried deep within.

Scratch, scratch, scratch …

The sound came again.

Who’s there? he asked, getting up.

However, silence again filled the room. His mind began to race -- back to the two other times when he’d heard a sound like that. Each time had been when he’d discovered something unusual or unique in Gramma Zulov’s stash of stuff. And each time, he’d been visited by her ghost, a specter that had come to warn him or inform him about something.

He looked around, expecting to find the image of his great grandmother hovering nearby. But this time he saw nothing. So, he shrugged it off and began pulling more things from the box. Once he had gotten to the bottom, he noticed something not covered in tissue paper. The piece was odd, as he didn’t remember ever seeing it inside the chest in the first place.

Willie picked it up and immediately saw it was the same piece he had seen in the collage of Chinese artifacts in his textbook.

No way, he mumbled to himself, looking it over. It can’t be the same thing.

But the more he looked at it, the more confused he became.

What on earth is this thing? he thought, turning it over in his hands.

That, my dear great grandson, is a number wheel from the Han Dynasty – made between 200 and 100 BCE.

Willie jumped, scared out of his wits at the voice that had answered him from an otherwise empty room.

Gramma? asked Willie. Gramma, is that you?

Yes, of course it’s me, silly. Who else would it be? answered the ghost of his great grandmother.

I wish you wouldn’t do that! exclaimed Willie, catching his breath. You’re going to give me a heart attack.

No, I would know that, you see, and I’m not going to give you one of those.

So, what is it this time? asked Willie. What do you want?

Is that anyway to greet your great gramma?

No, I’m sorry, but it’s just that whenever you show up, things, well ...

Things what? asked Gramma Zulov.

… things happen. You know. I end up in Egypt and such.

Really?

Yes, really, quipped Willie. The first time we were almost killed by people trying to get their hands on your Sibylline Books. The second time, we almost didn’t make it out of the caves and tunnels under Giza. And now? Now what?

Gramma should her head. You just don’t have much faith, do you Willie?

What do you mean?

I mean that the first time I sent you on an adventure you saved the country. The second time you saved the city of Atlantis. That’s what I mean.

Willie hadn’t really thought of it like that before, but she was right. Although there were some who had unfortunately and tragically died, there were many, many more who lived or were much better off as a result of the escapades she had put them through.

So, what is this thing? Willie asked her, tilting the piece at odd angles to get a better look.

"This relic is from an ancient dynasty of China. You see, originally a general by the name of Cheung Leung needed to raise money for his wars to preserve the Han empire, but he found his subjects unwilling to pay more in taxes. So, he created a lottery game where he would draw eight pieces from a deep sack that held over one hundred twenty characters – all taken from a Chinese children’s book The Thousand Character Classic. Over the next century, the game evolved into one where numbers were generated using a number wheel instead. What you have before you, Willie, is the first number wheel for lotto."

Cool, Willie answered coldly, suddenly not very interested. He wrapped the globe-like piece with bands of rings around the outside and placed it back in the chest.

What are you doing? asked Gramma, as if scolding him.

I don’t really care about Chinese relics, Gramma. It’s just some dumb thing they used to play games with. We have 3-D holograms now – virtual reality games that I can play any day and any time. What do I want with this old piece of junk?

Junk?

Yeah, Gramma. It looks like a piece of junk.

Gramma’s specter suddenly flamed with emotion before rushing over and hovering beside him.

What? Willie asked, trying to defend himself.

"It’s not a piece of junk. In fact, it’s very important. It was then, and it is now. Relics are part of our collective ancestry."

Not mine, said Willie.

No, not directly, but everything has a purpose, Willie. If there was just one piece missing in everything that has happened since the beginning of time, you wouldn’t likely be here.

Is this a ‘respect your elders’ kind of thing?

Kind of, yes, answered Gramma. And this piece here is particularly dangerous or immensely useful. But you must understand how to use it. If you use it wisely, you can make another big difference in the world. If you don’t, then you may bring upon yourself and those you love utter disaster.

Right, said Willie smugly. It’s just like all of the other treasures in that trunk. And I don’t want to have anything to do with them anymore, Gramma. None of us do.

Gramma folded her arms. Okay, then, Willie. Have it your way. But I think you will regret your decision. I think you will see that you should have spent more time talking to me about this little ‘game’ as you call it. But, like everything in life, as you experience it on Earth, you must learn from both your successes and your failures. I can’t do any more than what I’ve done. The rest is up to you.

And with that, Gramma’s phantom disappeared.

Willie only shrugged and put the wheel back in the trunk, hoping to forget about it. But unfortunately for him and others around him, the wheel would not let Willie forget.

*****

CH 3 Help with Math

Maggie had been in Willie’s Philosophy of the Middle Ages class and had sat next to him many times even though they weren’t required to sit in any particular seat. There was a connection there, a spark, but Willie had been nervous about asking Maggie out. Finally, after some flirtatious conversation before class, he found out that she was a math major and, as it turned out, he was struggling with his calculus class. He had never enjoyed math but had always managed an A or a B. But that was in high school. This was college, and things were different. For some reason, the concepts didn’t come as naturally to him as they did to others. He excelled at language, literature, writing, and art. It was the hard sciences and math that were getting more difficult for him as he matriculated through the grades.

Hey, Maggie, Willie said one day before their philosophy class, you must be pretty good at calculus, right – you being a math major and all.

Calculus? Yeah, that’s a piece of cake, Willie. Why?

Maggie was short, no more than five feet three, if that. With her short caramel-brown hair, oval face, sculpted eyebrows, and petite ears that were tucked sharply back behind whisks of straight locks, she was one of the cutest girls on campus. Smart and bubbly, she embodied the kind of young woman in college most aspired to be, but never quite measured up. She had a twinkle in her eyes and a broad smile with perfect, white teeth that looked like she’d just come out of a modeling interview or a dental advertisement. And not without notice were her high, rosy cheekbones that puffed out below her large, olive-shaped, green eyes.

I have Professor Stynus -- you know, the one with the black glasses and the chain around her neck? said Willie, describing the unusual, old-fashioned spectacles of his professor.

No, but I’ve heard about her. She’s a tough nut from what other people say, said Maggie.

Yeah, and unfortunately I have her for Calculus II.

Why did you sign up for that when you’re not a math major? Maggie asked, batting her beautiful laurel green eyes at Willie.

His heart swelled. I dunno. I thought taking more math would be a good thing, I guess.

If you’re a math major, yes, Maggie extolled. If you’re not, then it’s masochistic.

So, do you think you can help me? he pleaded. Even for Willie, there was a moment of humiliation having to ask for assistance. Yet, he was hoping to get more out of it than just help.

Sure. It won’t be a problem, Maggie answered. Why not tonight? Do you want me to come over to your dorm room?

Willie was embarrassed that he still lived at home. There was no way he was going to tell her for fear she would drop him like a stone.

No, he said, why don’t we meet at the library. I get more done there.

They agreed on seven o’clock, and Willie made sure he was on the third floor early with his computer open and his tablet and marking pen ready.

Time passed, and Willie glanced again at his watch. It was nearly twenty past seven, and Maggie still wasn’t there. Discouraged, Willie double checked his watch against the digital clock on the wall. Both read the same number 7:27.

I guess she’s not coming, thought Willie, picking up his things and packing them into his backpack. He had read and done every problem in the chapter and had re-checked them. In any event, he thought, he was making more progress on his math than he usually did, even though his math tutor had ditched him.

Finally, he began scrolling through his messages, and one popped up he hadn't expected.

Willie - Just thinking about you. Call me sometime.

Shannon

Willie smiled. How strange I got this message now, he thought. But then, he knew how strange Fate could be at times.

He promptly pressed the dial button and let the ringtone pulses vibrate in his ear.

Hello? came the familiar voice that had always melted a portion of his heart.

Hello, Shannon? asked Willie.

Hey, Willie! I just sent you a text. Is that why you're calling?

Oh, really? How weird, he said, acting like his call was completely coincidental. No, I was just thinking about you and thought I’d see if you were there.

So, how is school? she asked, turning on her video monitor. Her beautiful, energetic face popped-up on the screen in front of him.

Good, he said with a smile. And you?

Great, she answered, grinning back at him. For the next two hours they talked about their schools, classes, parties they’d gone to, new friends they had, and many other things.

Finally, there was a young man's voice in the background, calling to her.

Well, I have to go, Willie. It's been good talking to you. Stay in touch, she said, beginning to hang-up.

Willie needed something else to keep her on the line. He wanted to have more time with her. Well, uh … he stuttered, do you know much about number wheels?

What? she asked.

Number wheels. At least that’s what I think it is.

Shannon looked at him like he was dressed in a clown suit and standing in the middle of the library floor. Willie, are you okay?

Yeah, I’m fine, he answered. I just want to spend some more time with you, that’s all. There … he’d said it.

Shannon smiled. I like you too, Willie, but I have a boyfriend now.

Suddenly, the happiness in his gut turned sour. Willie did not know that, and that was the worst string of words she could have said to him. Uh, well, … he continued, falling all over himself. Sure, sure, I figured you did. I heard someone in the background there. But I just thought we could, you know talk some more.

It’s okay, Willie. I have another five minutes before we leave. Anyway, what about this number wheel? Is this something you found in your great grandmother’s trunk? Is it like that map you found?

Willie wasn’t sure he should tell her yes as she might hang up on him. "

Well, maybe, he eked out in a higher-pitched voice.

The disapproving face on the other end of the line was obvious.

Now, Shannon, I know the last time wasn’t such a great experience.

Not a great experience? Are you serious? You almost killed us!

Not intentionally. It was more an accident, if I remember. Maybe a string of accidents.

Shannon folded her arms.

Shannon, I said I was sorry many times three years ago, and you said you forgave me.

Shannon looked away from the camera.

Shannon? Willie said, continuing to beseech her.

Willie, I just don’t want to get roped into something like that again. We said we’d never talk about it, right?

I’m not talking about it. I’m talking about this – this number wheel.

Did you get it from the trunk? she pressed him.

Yes, but Gramma says it’s different this time. Now Willie was shading the truth more than he felt comfortable, and he backed off. Well, she said this one is at least as important as the last two were. If you remember, we saved Atlantis.

Willie!

Sorry, I meant, that other civilization down under.

There was a pause before Shannon spoke again.

So, what is so important with this new relic? You say it’s a wheel of some sort? Can you hold it up so I can see it?

Willie pulled it out of his bag and placed it on the table in view of the camera on his computer.

Well, what do you think? he asked.

Shannon stared at it with curiosity and wonder. It looked like a small globe, slightly larger than could be held in one’s hand. Made of tarnished brass, the orb was mossy green with three brass rings encircling it. Each ring passed through a metal piece on top that projected out from the surface at a right angle, like the north pole on a real globe. The rings were layered and circumnavigated the sphere at different angles and altitudes. However, there was no south pole to match the northern peg, and the rings themselves seemed frozen in place. Each of the rings had either numbers or characters on it. On one ring the numbers ranged from zero to three hundred sixty-five. The second spanned numbers from zero to five thousand, and the third had no numbers -- only strange symbols on it. This third ring was the oddest. It was sliver thin and looked flimsy, but to the touch it was as strong and sturdy as the others that were a few millimeters thick. As for the symbols; nothing on the third ring resembled anything they had ever seen or studied before.

I’m … I’m not sure what to think, said Shannon. It just looks like some old, encrusted piece of junk to me. She stopped staring and added, Willie, you need to get rid of that thing. I can tell it’s no good! You know that! Just throw it in the dumpster.

But ...

No, Willie, you can't. It’s just like all the other junk in that trunk. It’s all meant to ruin you and anyone else around you at the time. We both know that.

Willie, I’m so sorry I’m late, said Maggie hurrying down the row of library carrels. I thought you were on the undergraduate side of the library. I’ve been waiting there. Someone told me to look over here. I’m glad I did. I hope you aren’t too upset.

Heck no, said Willie, trying to hide his mix of emotions. He was a bit put-out, but her explanation helped smooth the waters and calm him down. But I think I understand the math section better now with the extra time.

Oh, are you on the phone? asked Maggie, looking at him.

Who is that? asked Shannon, seeing Maggie come into the picture.

She's a friend, said Willie. Listen, I gotta go too, Shannon. I'll talk with you later.

Willie ... Shannon began, but Willie hung up.

Maggie looked him confused. We can do this some other time, she said to him.

No, really, it's fine, Willie said.

Maggie set her books down on the table and together they began going over the calculus problems. Willie acted like he didn't know the first thing about them. But when Maggie became aggravated at him, he upped his game so she wouldn't believe he was too stupid.

By the end of the session, he was ripping through them like a pro, and Maggie shook her head. Well, I don’t think I was such a good teacher, but you're catching on quickly. Then, she looked over at the number wheel he had left out in his carrel. What's this? she asked.

Something that’s been in the family a long time.

Maggie looked closer at it. I didn’t know your ancestry was Chinese, she said.

It’s not, said Willie. But my Gramma … He stopped. He wasn’t sure he wanted to dive into the long and sordid history that was sure to follow if he stayed the course. Let’s just say, it’s something that came into the family at some point along the way.

What’s it supposed to be?

Well, I’m not sure, he admitted. I was told it is a number wheel of some sort.

Maggie grabbed one of the rings and tried to spin it, but it didn’t budge.

I don’t see how it moves, she said. Do the rings there move at all or does the sphere part? She then placed her hand on the globe trying to rotate the ball, but still nothing budged.

I’ve tried too and can’t seem to get anything to move. Willie looked on as Maggie struggled with the device, but she was no closer to figuring it out than he was.

Where did you find it? she asked, finally putting it down.

It’s a long story, Maggie. It would take too long to explain, and I don’t want to bore you with it.

Well, maybe when you figure out how to use it, you can let me know.

Willie nodded and watched as Maggie left the library floor, summoning one of the ancient elevators and disappearing as the gray, metal doors closed behind her.

His mind turned to Shannon again. She would have known how to make it work, he thought. They still had that bond together from the time they had spent below ground in the caverns under Egypt.

Maggie had smiled at him as she left the library floor, but it felt empty to him. He missed Shannon more than he realized, and it had been a long time since he had seen her. He knew she had a boyfriend now and that things were working out for her at her new school. Still, he held out hope.

***

It was the next day, and Willie didn’t feel any better. He was down, feeling stupid about what had happened with Shannon the day earlier. He had spent the night trying to figure out how to make the number wheel move but wasn’t having much luck with that either. Finally, he called his brother, Daniel, who was still in Cancun during his spring break. He couldn’t reach him and left him a message on his cell phone.

Daniel? It’s me Willie. I know your busy having fun, but I’ve got this thing I need to talk to you about. Willie went on to describe the wheel he had found in the trunk and his uncomfortable meeting with Maggie. But now I need to figure out how this thing works. Call me.

Willie hung up the phone, expecting it would be hours later before his brother would get back to him, but instead his phone buzzed right away.

Daniel? Willie answered, watching as the image of his brother popped up on the screen.

Willie, you know we told Mom we wouldn’t dig into that trunk anymore, said Daniel scornfully.

I know, but …

No, Willie. We promised.

You’re right. But it was Gramma again. She was the one who called to me and made me find that wheel in the trunk.

"Made you?" asked Daniel, not believing his brother.

It was kinda’ like that. Yeah. You know how she can be.

Willie!

Daniel, come on! Help me with this! Just this one last time.

"Ugh! said Daniel. You just won’t quit, will you?"

Nope.

All right then, show it to me.

Willie pointed the phone cam toward the device which he had resting on the table in front of him. He propped it up with a white towel so his brother could get a better look.

Strange, Daniel remarked, squinting as he surveyed what Willie was showing him.

Yeah. I thought it was something simple. It looks like it should just work, you know. But I haven’t been able to get it to move at all. I showed it to Maggie, my friend at school, and she couldn’t make it move either. She’s a brain, Daniel – she’s really smart.

It’s odd that the rings join in only one place on the globe instead of two. Usually, they’ll be connected at each of the poles, but this one seems joined only at one end. Maybe the rings aren’t supposed to move around it.

Then what are they supposed to do? asked Willie.

Daniel studied the sphere some more. What’s on the globe itself? I can’t tell. It looks like fungus or something. Has it been corroded? It’s got a distinct tint – you know, like it’s discolored from something. What is that on the surface, Willie?

It’s a bit tarnished is all. I think that’s all it is. I guess I could clean it up a bit.

Willie took out an old t-shirt from his top dresser drawer and began rubbing the surface. The aquamarine crust came off easily, and within a few minutes, the entire shell of the globe looked shiny and new.

Did you see that? asked Daniel, his face watching through the lens of Willie’s camera phone.

See what? answered Willie.

Did you see the rings move? I swear I saw the rings move.

Willie put down the globe and waited, watching for something to happen. Indeed, as soon as it was resting on the surface of his study table, the single post connecting the rings to the sphere vanished, and all three rings appeared to hover around the globe without any support. It was like a small model of the planet Saturn, except with two more rings slanted at different angles from the main one.

What the heck! said Willie, his eyes showing his amazement.

Try spinning the wheels now, said Daniel.

Tentatively, Willie took his fingers and spun the outside ring. It moved effortlessly around the globe, as if air friction and gravity no longer had any effect on it. Fascinated with the first ring, Willie used his index finger to push the second and then the third wheels. All rotated smoothly and silently around the globe like a perpetual motion machine.

I think the rings are speeding up, Willie, not slowing down. Watch them! said Daniel.

Indeed, the longer they watched the faster the rings began to spin until they blurred together into a single outer, translucent shell that completely enveloped the globe. Once this happened, the globe in the center began glowing – first scarlet red, then orange and finally a blinding white.

I thought you said it was a number wheel, Willie? asked Daniel, becoming alarmed.

That’s what Gramma said, answered Willie, shielding his eyes from the brilliance of the light.

I don’t see any numbers coming from it. Do you? Daniel asked, squinting as he watched through the safety of his camera screen. Willie, I think you should get out of there. I think the thing is …

Willie didn’t seem to hear the admonition and narrowed his eyes, searching the rotating, glowing sphere for a sign, a clue.

No, I don’t think I do. Then, he added, Daniel, why don’t you help me with it – you know, help me figure it out?

I can’t, mate. I’ve got my finals coming up soon. I have to do well on them since they’re the only grades I’ll have in those classes. I want to get into a good law school, you know.

Well, I have finals soon too, but …

Willie, I can’t. All right?

Fine, Willie answered with annoyance, but don’t ask me to help you with anything any time soon.

Willie could see his brother take a deep breath, pausing before giving a reply.

Well, Daniel finally answered, why don’t you ask your girlfriend to help you. What you need to do is get her interested in it too.

You mean Shannon?

Yeah, Shannon.

Shannon’s not my girlfriend. She never was. Anyway, she’s dating some guy where she’s going to college.

That’s okay, said Daniel. I don’t think she was ever really into you anyway. You just have to see it for what it was. You’re at two different schools now. She’s got her world and you’ve got yours. I wouldn’t worry about it.

You’re wrong! Willie spat back. She liked me just fine. We just have different interests now, that’s all. He could feel the pain and wanted to lash out at anyone or anything that threatened to validate the rift that had come between the two of them. Things hadn’t gone well with Maggie either, and just when he’d started thinking again about Shannon again -- clinging to a distant hope -- his brother had leveled a shotgun at him and fired it with both barrels.

I gotta’ go, Daniel. I have to get back to the library.

Good luck with your little wheel, said Daniel before disconnecting the line.

I don’t know why I bother, thought Willie. He only gives me grief when I call. He glanced over at the wheel and noticed its rings were still rotating, although they were now slowing to a stop.

Reaching out his hand, Willie interrupted the spin of the three wheels and put the device back in the trunk.

There, he thought, maybe I’ll just keep you in Gramma’s trunk since you’re