Pan laughed. “It flips, dumbass. Fortunately, I’m able to add gravity to my little cave or poof to the other side right before the sudden shift. You, on the other hand, mightpreferto be stuck to that tree. Otherwise, you’ll fall off.”
Aaron didn’t know if this god was just toying with him or what. He had to be. In that case, arguing logic with him was a waste of breath. Even if Pan believed what he was saying, Aaron was still wasting his breath. “So how long are you going to keep me here?”
“So many questions!” After a considerable pause, he finally said, “I don’t know. She’ll forget all about you eventually. Perhaps when she gives up and allows me to court her, I’ll let you go.”
That wasn’t very encouraging. Aaron was pretty sure he and Gaia had something real. A love that would never die. In other words, he’d perish here.
Suddenly, his hands began to shake. He was hoping Pan couldn’t see his tremors, but the satyr’s eyes widened, and he strolled around Aaron’s back.
“Ha! You’re shaking like a leaf. Try not to wet your pants, human.”
“The tremors are caused by a medical condition.”
“Oh really? You humans…so frail. You’re always falling prey to something or other. What was she thinking?” He leaned against the tree, studying his human hands and crossing his lower hooves. “I could have just waited a few minutes and you’d probably die on your own. Then I could have stepped in and comforted her, eventually taking your place.”
“Then why don’t you do that?”
“Because I don’t wanna. And I’m a god, so I don’t hafta.”
Aaron realized why Gaia was none too fond of the gods. She had inferred that they were selfish, spoiled brats. She clearly knew what she was talking about.
“So what is this medical condition, human? What is it called?”
“At first, I thought it might be Parkinson’s disease, but now it’s looking more like ET.”
“Extraterrestrial? Like ET phone home?” Pan cracked up as if that were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “I guess you could be considered anextraterrestrialon this planet.”
Aaron blew out a breath. “It doesn’t stand for extraterrestrial. It stands for essential tremors. It’s a non-life-threatening condition that usually runs in families. It used to be called familial tremors.”
Pan stopped laughing and planted his fists on his hairy hips. “You mean you shake because your parents shook, and they shook because their parents shook?”
“Well, not all of them, but some of my ancestors must have had the condition.”
“So were they called Shakers? Is that what those museum villages are for? Did they corral you all in one place so you wouldn’t spill everything on unsuspecting people?” Pan burst out laughing again.
“What?” It took Aaron a second to realize he was talking about the Shaker villages in the Northeast and Midwest. Whether he was serious was hard to tell.
“I asked you a question…”
“Uh, no. They weren’t called Shakers. That was a religion that forbade men and women touching. The way they danced looked like shaking. They died out several years ago.”
Pan reared back and laughed some more. “Gee, I wonder why? Well, mortal, there is one advantage to having you around. You amuse me.”
Aaron just smiled. He really had no other recourse while tied to a tree.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about me? You haven’t asked me one question about myself.”
Aaron fished his memory for anything he’d learned in his mythology classes. “Pan is a nature god. The god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, mountains, and rustic music and companion of the nymphs. You have the legs and horns of a goat, just like a faun or satyr.”
“Not bad. Actually, I’m the most famous of the satyrs and a son of the god Hermes, also known as the messenger of the gods, and the nymph Penelope.”
“And I suppose you’re sending a message to Gaia as we speak.”
“No. I won’t be giving her any information about your disappearance. She’ll probably assume you got scared and ran off when you realized how much more powerful she is than you.”
Aaron had been around powerful women all his life. His mother and wife were witches. His two daughters were witches, both with the power to heal and one with psychic power. Maybe Ruth could pick up on his psyche and make the connection. But if he was truly in another galaxy or wherever… He was a witch too, but his power was fairly useless. He could become invisible. Big whoop. How could that help him now? Even if he disappeared from view, the ropes wouldn’t let go. He’d have to look for another way to escape.
“Excuse me, but is there a stream nearby? A place I might be able to get something to drink?”
