The sky shone with light brighter than any full moon; it didn’t seem to come from any source. It was as if the air itself was glowing, banishing all shadows. And the color had no relation to any moonlight he had ever seen; it was an odd aqua-blue. Looking down the long empty street, the air shimmered; tiny slivers of the individual colors of the rainbow appeared and disappeared quickly, following no apparent pattern. He turned to look at Sam, who stood there stoically.

“Now do you see it?” he said, sarcasm riding below his words like a gopher in a garden.

“Yes,” Richard stammered. “It’s incredible.” He looked at his watch. “It’s 12:30am! This can’t even be sunlight! What is it?”

“I have no idea.” Sam left the steps and walked down the street. “And if you think this is unbelievable…wait until you see what’s next.”

Richard turned to follow him, then stopped suddenly. “What the hell…?”

“I know, right?” Sam looked nervous. “I don’t know where it went, either. Part of the city is here, and part of it…just isn’t.”

Two blocks later, the road ended in a gigantic empty plaza, the size of four city blocks, surrounded on all sides by tall edifices. Their roofs were pointed, and the slope extended all the way to the ground, as if designed for heavy snowfall. The sides of the buildings, like the surface of the plaza, looked perfectly flat, polished, and flawless. The omnidirectional light bounced from the ground, intensifying the glow, the rainbow slivers reflected all along its extent. Far to the north stood an immense building, the width of the entire plaza, designed in an ancient architectural style, its complexity and aesthetics making Angkor Wat look like a windowless tilt-up.

Sam turned to look at Richard’s gaping expression. “Impressive, isn’t it?”

“What is this?” Richard gasped. “Where are we?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. But don’t be fooled by its beauty; this place is deadly.” He pointed north. “Let’s walk along this wall and get to the temple. Best to stay out of the plaza entirely.”

Richard followed Sam. “What kind of temple is it?”

“I don’t even know that it is a temple; it just looks like one. I’ve only been here once; I didn’t have time to name things properly.”

Richard crept along the wall, eyeing the plaza suspiciously. “Have you seen anyone else here?”

“Only the perp I was following,” Sam revealed. “And one other creature that I hope we don’t encounter.”

“Why? What was it like?”

Sam put his finger to his lips. “We should probably be quiet from here on out.”

They skulked wordlessly down the side of the steeply-sloped building, finally reaching the corner of the plaza. Following Sam’s lead, Richard ducked in and out of every available hiding spot, making their way to the front of the building, finally standing just outside the portico. Columns supported an immense stone roof, covering the otherwise open area in front of the temple’s main door. Sam pointed to one ear. “Hear anything?” he whispered.

Richard stood still, then his eyes lit up. All around them was the unmistakable sound of thousands of microscopic bells ringing. Sam pointed inside the portico and entered, Richard right behind him. The inner walls were coated with a thick layer of the fungus he had seen in the cave. Here, it glowed much brighter and rang much louder.

“Now hurry,” Sam insisted. “He could arrive any minute.”

Richard quickly withdrew his plastic container and opened it, scraping it along the wall. He was surprised to find the container filled up instantly; the fungus on the wall was at least two inches thick. He marveled at its fecundity; if he had known, he would have brought an entire knapsack of containers. He replaced the lid and placed the container back into his belt pouch. “Ready to go?” asked Sam.

Without warning, a giant boulder exploded near Richard’s torso, the shattering stone knocking him to the ground. “He’s here!” Sam screamed. Richard turned weakly to look at something straight out of a childhood nightmare. It appeared to be a giant stone statue, easily fifteen feet high, and carved to look like some sort of Greek champion. But the look in its eyes was anything but heroic; they burned positively malevolent. It held a giant bag in its left hand, its texture making it look like a potato sack.

Sam looked frantic. “Richard! You have to get out of there!” The giant reached into the sack and withdrew another boulder. It grinned evilly as it lined up another shot at Richard’s crumpled form.

“Hey!” Richard heard Sam yell. “Over here, ugly!” The giant’s attention suddenly shifted toward Sam, and raised his arm to throw, his eyes flaring. Sam shuffled his feet, continually changing his direction; as the giant threw his projectile, Sam sprinted toward Richard, the boulder hurling uselessly in another direction. He grabbed Richard under the shoulders and heaved him into the air, bolting around the column, out of the line of fire.

“Can you run?!” Sam yelled.

“I…think so,” Richard stammered.

“Then let’s go!” Sam vaulted down the stairs and into the plaza, Richard following.

“I thought you said to stay out of the plaza!” Richard belted breathlessly.

“No time for that!” Sam shouted. “Keep looking behind you, and turn when he throws something!”