With one wavering eye, he read the clock, \u201c1:15 P.M.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a minute more, not a minute less<\/em>. Sheets of gold slipped between the rivets of the venetian, slicing his shoulders as he rolled away from the clock. How long has it been since I\u2019ve slept this good? \u00a0<\/em>Tightening the comforter around him, he burrowed into his pillow. Sleep, my long lost companion, I\u2019ll never leave you<\/em>. The afternoon sun\u2019s warmth provided a secondary blanket, like the embrace of a lover, seducing him back to sleep. A curve took hold of his lips and crescented into a smile before flat lining.<\/p>\n \u201cShit!\u201d<\/p>\n Tearing off his blanket he bound out of bed, lunged through looming mountains of laundry, hurdled the cat humming on his hoodie, and came to a skidding halt in the doorway. His bare toes cringed as he glanced at his hip, What the\u2026<\/em>, then back at his bed, of course<\/em>, where his pump-site lay half buried beneath the folds of his comforter, twisted like a dead viper.<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously?!\u201d<\/p>\n Yet there was no time to replace it. Being on time was far more important than insulin. He ventured to the bathroom where he grabbed a shriveled tube of toothpaste, globbed some onto his brush, and plunged the rigid utensil into his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou alright, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n His brother leaned against the door frame, watching their reflection in the mirror.<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d This was the first and last intelligible syllable to escape Joe\u2019s fluoride foaming lips. \u201cMah hum hite oht hank\u2019d out, I hook hike hit and,\u201d tossing the brush into the sink, he spat, painting the faucet in pale polka-dots before finishing his answer, \u201cI\u2019m going to be late!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d the brother drew back from the mirror, gritting his teeth empathetically, \u201cbut you quit?\u201d<\/p>\n Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Joe took a gulp of mouthwash and nodded as the sting of alcohol swarmed his taste buds.<\/p>\n \u201cOh wait\u2026\u201d his brother jabbed the roof with his index finger, \u201cyou had an interview!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe spewed the alien-green liquid, slid past his brother, and nearly tripped on the dog behind him but saved himself with a last-minute hop.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if yall would get out of my way, I still will!\u201d<\/p>\n Flying back to his room, he tore his way into his closet, a small walk-in with a dresser, and yanked the first button up he saw off its hangers. He could hear his brother approaching from the hall, once more hanging in the doorway. Can\u2019t he just let me get ready?<\/em> Halfway through his buttons, he glanced out the closet and caught a glimpse of his clock\u2019s impatient hands: 1:18. No time for buttons, on to the slacks!<\/em> His khaki\u2019s lay crumpled in the corner, but a loyal grease-stained pair of black pants \u2013 a legacy from his days working in food service \u2013 waited on its hanger. As he slid on his pants and stooped to search the past week\u2019s abandoned britches for a belt, his brother wandered into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat time is the interview?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c1:30,\u201d Joe mumbled back. Stepping on the crotch of his favorite acid-washed jeans, Joe pulled his belt free. As he slid it around his waist, he snagged a tie off the dresser and charged out the closet. His sibling stepped backwards, out of the way, but the dog stood wagging his tail behind him. He tumbled over the hound and onto Joe\u2019s bed as the dog hit the deck. The cat perked up with a meow.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Stephen,\u201d Joe grimaced, reaching over the embarrassed hound to offer a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it.\u201d Stephen shrugged assistance away and laid back, \u201cNeed any help? A drive?\u201d<\/p>\n Why can\u2019t you be this helpful every day?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYea, grab the mirror,\u201d Joe said. He popped his collar and draped the red tongue of clothe over his shoulders. His brother maneuvered past the debris that was Joe\u2019s possessions, clasped the rectangle of mirror which hid half-way beneath the bed, and held it up for Joe to see.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got everything?\u201d Stephen asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWallet\u2019s in the car\u2026\u201d Joe muttered, his mind attempting to ignore the distracting organisms in the ecosystem around him as he tied his tie, \u201cdon\u2019t need my phone\u2026I\u2019ll fix my pump when I get back\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The little brother lowered the mirror to peer over the obsidian frame.<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down, breathe, you\u2019re gonna be fine, bro.\u201d Stephen wore a smirk that Joe\u2019d been conditioned to recognize as mischevious, but Joe did his best to ignore it, \u201cDon\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI gave up-.\u201d He paused as he slapped himself in the jaw with the necktie, \u201c-a while ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, the job was done and, though the knot was less than satisfactory, the time for perfection had come and gone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay though, I\u2019ve come to terms with it.\u201d Joe shrugged, heading for the door, \u201cI\u2019m not compatible with civilization.\u201d He patted his pockets as he checked one last time to make sure he hadn\u2019t forgotten anything, all the while he continued his pessimistic tirade, \u201cI have given up on humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n Satisfied, he was about to leave when Stephen wrapped his arms around him, hugging his arms to his sides.<\/p>\n Through gritted teeth, Joe growled, \u201cBro, I got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Stephen said, \u201cdon\u2019t give up, I love you bro!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pried his way free and made it for the door but once again he was halted by the sound of a distinct jingle behind him. Spinning around he found the source of his brother\u2019s odd behaviors: his keys.<\/p>\n \u201cDude, I don\u2019t have ti-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey were in my room.\u201d Stephen stated. He yanked his hand back when his brother reached for them, then declared his ransom, \u201cTell me you won\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot cool.\u201d Joe stated, his temper fixing to boil over.<\/p>\n Stephen shrugged, \u201cJust say it.\u201d<\/p>\n The words dove of his tongue, \u201cI won\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEver!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEver!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the Joe I used to know!\u201d<\/p>\n Stephen tossed the keys, Joe caught them and sped out the door. Despite the situation Joe couldn\u2019t help but emit a bitter chuckle as he, shaking his head, slid his keys into his pocket and sprinted down the stairs. His brother, the cat, and the dog watched him descend from the banister. Though the animals weren\u2019t listening, Stephen felt the need to reassure himself out loud.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said he\u2019d be back,\u201d he whispered, \u201che said that to me\u2026he\u2019ll be back before I can blink.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, come on!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared at the light. Glaring, his brow narrowed into a squint as he dared the crimson plastic of the traffic light to rethink its color selection. The light shone back with nonchalant brilliance. The dulled yellow and green bulbs above laughed as their comrade mocked the young driver. Even the summer sun seemed to be chuckling at his situation as it smeared its heat through the rolled up windows of Joe\u2019s Honda Civic. The Alabama sun was killer, but gas prices were much more fatal and if he were to blast the AC, as his dripping pores begged him to, he would be forced to watch the little yellow hand of the gas meter inch its way to the big Times New Romans \u201cE\u201d \u2013 and this \u201cE\u201d could be crippling to an unemployed programmer. Instead, he rolled down his windows and sat with his back stuck to the leather by perspiration. His eyes remained locked on the traffic light that swung gently in the wind from where it hung below the overpass. The blaring car radio was his only comfort, though the lyrics seemed to be as jeering as the traffic lights\u2019 glare.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve gone through life white-knuckled in the moments that left me behind\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord, if you value my future, please turn this light green!\u201d<\/p>\n The light turned green.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s foot hopped from the brake pedal to the gas as he dropped his eyes back to the road.<\/p>\n \u201cJESUS CHRIST!\u201d<\/p>\n He slammed on the breaks. In front of him was an elderly woman, if elderly was even the correct term for her. The stoop of her back was something from the nightmares of an orthopedist. Joe found himself wondering if it was really her back or if it was a pet monkey clinging to her shoulder blades, hidden beneath her floral dress. As she inched along, her head shook, shuddering as if in a frostbiting blizzard instead of a blistering drought. The wrinkles of her face sagged to such an extreme that her eyebrows, with what little colored strands of hair were left, sagged low over her eyes and her cheeks drooped down around her chin like a basset hound\u2019s. She was absolutely ancient, maybe mesolithic, possibly prehistoric. She could\u2019ve counted the seconds she had left to live on two hands and yet she was traveling with the speed of an oak tree.<\/p>\n \u201cThey say I\u2019ll adjust, God knows I must, but I\u2019m not sure how.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n Cars flew by Joe on every side as he contemplated the penalty for running the crone over. He quickly assured himself that \u2013 although she was crossing the crosswalk while the \u201cDO NOT WALK\u201d sign could be read across the street \u2013 he wouldn\u2019t be able to live with the knowledge that he\u2019d killed someone\u2019s grandmother. Great, great, GREAT, grandmother<\/em>, he corrected himself. His hand nervously felt the center of his steering wheel, his fingertips tap dancing on his horn as his patience or lack thereof toyed with his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cThis natural selection picked me out to be-\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The light turned yellow. He looked at the clock above the CD player. It read 1:30 P.M.<\/p>\n \u201cKill me now!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c-a dark horse running in a fantasy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Finally the lady passed to obstruct the next car and he was free to go. Once again his foot shifted to the gas, the Honda hummed as it struggled to accelerate then sent him flying beneath the overpass.<\/p>\n \u201cFlesh and bone!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m going to be late<\/em>. There was no doubt of that. It was just a question of how late. His mind was set, focusing on the street before him, focusing on the internal map in the back of his head that gave him directions, focusing on what he would say when he ran in fifteen minutes late, focusing on anything and everything but the traffic light that had been dangling over the old lady\u2019s head. After the hag had passed, he hadn\u2019t glanced up to make sure the light was still yellow. If he had, he would\u2019ve seen that it had been red for at least three solid seconds before his foot fell on the accelerator like a brick.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m running out of time!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He also didn\u2019t notice the truck barreling down the parkway towards the intersection.<\/p>\n The truck driver couldn\u2019t have known that a metallic green Honda would come zooming out from under the overpass. All he knew was that as he neared the intersection, his light turned green and that meant that it was safe to go. Joe didn\u2019t notice the semi until the shadow of the massive mechanical head reached out over his car. He turned on impulse and his eyes widened even before his brain registered what he saw. The metal grill of the eighteen wheeler and the two circular head lights on either side gave it an animalistic appearance, as if it were some mythical beast bearing down upon him, lips curled back from its teeth and eyes wide so as not to miss its prey. And in the right side mirror, Joe caught a glimpse of something dark, a figure, possibly a person, a really tall person \u2013 but no, it must\u2019ve been a shadow or an optical illusion because it looked almost as though there was a man standing beside his driver side door, right over his shoulder, in the middle of the street.<\/p>\n \u201cFlesh and bone!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He never got the opportunity to turn and look behind him.<\/p>\n In fact, he didn\u2019t even get the opportunity to be present as the semi-truck plowed into the passenger side of the little Civic and sucked the rest of his automobile beneath the starving eighteen wheels.<\/p>\n Joe was no longer in his car. He was no longer in the intersection. He was sitting on his butt in soft, damp soil surrounded by healthy, green foliage with rotted leaves padding the earth beneath his hands. Monstrous trees climbed into the sky around him, their tree trunks as big around as his car had been long. The trees climbed higher than any tree he\u2019d ever encountered and covered the sky with a dark deciduous canopy. Birds screeched overhead and beasts moaned in the distance. Although he\u2019d heard birds and he\u2019d heard beasts, these creatures sounded strange, different, alien and yet, somehow familiar.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat just happened? Where am I?\u201d Joe whispered to himself, his heart pounding so fiercely that it was almost painful. His body still trembled and his skin switched from hot to cold. \u201cAm I\u2026am I dead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup! Welcome to your afterlife.\u201d<\/p>\n His legs jerked, flinging himself through the air so that he landed on his feet, chest heaving with each frightened hiccup of a breath. He faced the speaker. The speaker was a little man, a very little man, the tip of his head reaching Joe\u2019s hip and Joe was not particularily tall. He was one of three dwarves Joe had ever seen in his life. Yet, this was no ordinary little person. He was wearing what appeared to be a green dress, or rather, a kilt jump suit – as he appeared to be masculine. The top was sleeveless with four small marble-like buttons traveling down the man\u2019s torso until they were interrupted by a leather belt with a gold-handled knife stuck snuggly between the Knome\u2019s tunic and girdle. Below the belt the same green material that was above continued, reaching down to tickle two little brown slippers. The same color, a faded once deep green, cone sat atop the little figure\u2019s scalp. The tip of the cone sagged down the back of his head. As for the man\u2019s face, he was old \u2013 old as the lady that had dragged herself across the intersection and possibly older. Yet he was healthy, his face had a few wrinkles, but not many. His age was seen in the grey beard that descended from the cone-hat and tumbled down from his chin, stretching half the distance to his belt before stopping, and in his sparkling blue eyes that radiated the sense of wisdom familiar to Joe from his own grandparents. Yet, the old man\u2019s peculiar height was not his only unique feature. His nose was squashed, it drooped abruptly over his mustache, and his ears, which stuck out goofily from behind his bushy side burns, were pointed at the ends.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you some kind of an elf?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElf?\u201d The little man chuckled. \u201cHah! I\u2019m hardly tall enough to be an elf. Why would you\u2026\u201d He stopped, mid-sentence, his lips frowning, eyes squinting, then he smiled again and continued, \u201cOh, that\u2019s right, you meant elf as in a North Pole elf, as in a Santa\u2019s-little-helpers elf. No, I am not a North Pole elf nor a south pole nor any other sorta elf that struts about on Earth, nor \u2013 for that matter \u2013 am I an electric, earth, water, or fire elf. In fact, I am a Knome and that is spelled with a \u2018K\u2019 not with a \u2018g\u2019 and not just any \u2018k\u2019 mind you, a big \u2018K\u2019. Although, I don\u2019t think-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mean to interrupt, but you said \u2018on Earth\u2019,\u201d Joe said, completely intending to interrupt, \u201cas if this isn\u2019t Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBingo!\u201d The Knome paused, tapping his bearded chin with his index finger, his eyes drifting into the treetops. \u201cWell\u2026technically this is Earth and Earth is this\u2026but un-technically, you are correct! You\u2019re dead after all. Wouldn\u2019t be much of an afterlife if you were forced to wander around Earth. This world \u2013 or solar system, rather \u2013 is known as Solaris! But we really should be moving along because there are some people in this universe that aren\u2019t too happy with me and while you might be dead, I\u2019d really rather stay alive. So, if you don\u2019t mind following me, I\u2019ll continue-\u201d<\/p>\n Joe planted his feet firmly in the soil, \u201cWhy do I need to go with you? These people aren\u2019t mad at me, I just got here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now that you\u2019re with me they very well might be.\u201d The Knome spoke with the swiftness of an auctioneer, \u201cWe really need to leave. I promise all will be explained. Don\u2019t worry, I mean, you can trust me. I just saved your life didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was dead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrust me, you could be a lot more dead than you are now. This world is no eutopia. An alien like you might just find yourself hunted for sport but <\/em>if you stay with me, I can keep you safe. In fact, you\u2019re probably safer than you\u2019ve ever been with me around. I\u2019m a pretty-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold up.\u201d Joe snapped, his nerves starting to be tested by the long-windedness of the little man. \u201cStop talking. I need to think.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned away from the Knome and leaned against one of the giant trees that surrounded him. Am I really dead? I mean, he said I was dead\u2026but then he said I could be a lot more dead\u2026then again, who is this \u2018Knome\u2019 guy anyway? Why should I trust him? What kind of afterlife is this place? Shouldn\u2019t death be a little more peaceful than this \u2013 unless I\u2019m in Hell\u2026no, that can\u2019t be\u2026there\u2019s something familiar about this place\u2026<\/em>He ran his hand across the flakey brown wood, idle-mindedly peeling a chunk of bark from the trunk. Suddenly, Joe straightened up and ran his palm over his face, a grin stretching across his lips. What am I thinking? Am I crazy? \u201cSolaris\u201d? I\u2019m obviously in a hospital dreaming away while doctors try to figure out if they can get my brain back online with reality<\/em>. He scraped another sheet of bark off the tree and watched the squirming insects panic in their sudden nakedness. They, the insects, were different \u2013 but not too different. Not something beyond the capability of his own imagination. At least when I wake up I\u2019ll have a solid excuse for missing my interview.<\/em><\/p>\n Turning to face the Knome, Joe asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEkaf Emanlaer Reppiz!\u201d The Knome said, bowing his head so that the green cone hat flopped towards Joe. Standing upright again, face flushed, eyes flying from left to right, he continued with the same hastiness as before, \u201cCan we go now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, where are-\u201d<\/p>\n Without warning, Ekaf leapt forward, flying past Joe and into the thick brush that surrounded them. Joe stared at the area of woods the Knome had disappeared through and waited for him to return. But he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Turning around, Joe yelped and stumbled backwards. A being had emerged from behind one of the giant tree trunks. The person was taller than Joe, at least six foot tall, and was dressed in metal plates held together by chainmail. In the center of his chest there was a circle surrounded by tiny triangles that pointed outward, a symbol Joe easily recognized as a sun. His entire body was covered in armor, from armored boots to his armored gloves, all the way up to his neck. The helmet atop his head was covered in carvings of mythical creatures, dragons and dinosaurs, minotaurs and monsters, and it was crested with horns that cut a line down the middle of the man\u2019s scalp. The sliver of face that was visible was wrinkleless and wispy with eyes that were glossy chrome disks. It wasn\u2019t the armor that made the man look so peculiar, it was the transparency. Joe could see through the man\u2019s flesh. There was no muscle or bone. The man was nothing but a bluish cloud hanging onto a humanoid shape encased in a suit of metal.<\/p>\n The man\u2019s voice was muffled by his mouth guard but Joe could still understand what the man asked, \u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared, breathless, as cold sweat breached his forehead. He could see into the man\u2019s mouth when he spoke, but there were no teeth, no tongue, no throat, just a hole in the smoky existence that was the man. The man drew his sword out of the sheath at his belt. Joe felt a dropping sensation in his gut, the same feeling he got as he fell from the peak of a roller coaster. A single word formed in his mind and his conscience screamed that word to his muscles, \u201cRun!\u201d<\/p>\n Spinning on his heels, Joe froze. Four other ghostly men emerged from the brush. Each had their black swords drawn and each had the pointy emblem of a sun across their chest plate.<\/p>\n \u201cKnome,\u201d the ghost said, raising the tip of his blade to tickle Joe\u2019s shaven neck, \u201cor your life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay, listen,\u201d Joe said, trying to keep his body from shaking, \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. I just got here. I think I\u2019m dead. I don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stopped in mid thought. He stared at the ghostly knight before him, his brow drawn together. This isn\u2019t real.<\/em> He closed his eyes. This isn\u2019t real.<\/em> He bit the inside of his lip. This can\u2019t be real!<\/em><\/p>\n CLANG!<\/p>\n Joe opened his eyes. The Knome was standing between him and the ghostly being. In the Knome\u2019s hand was the dagger Joe\u2019d seen earlier, the one with the golden handle, but instead of it being a knife, it was now a sword and a massive one at that. Ekaf had to hold it in both hands and, even still, the weapon must\u2019ve been twice the little man\u2019s height. Joe was positive it weighed more than the Knome himself. The blade was such a pearly white that it almost seemed to glow, bringing vibrant light to the dense wooded forest.<\/p>\n \u201cFor knights, you folks really have no manners. However yall may feel about myself, that is no excuse to treat this man \u2013 a guest in our world \u2013 like a villain! By the Guardians,\u201d he glanced back at Joe, \u201cI apologize, Joe.\u201d Then back to the knights, \u201cAlright. Here\u2019s the deal. I\u2019m quite fond of spirits, you\u2019re magnificiently efficient organisms, so I\u2019ll let all five of you leave, unharmed and I\u2019ll take your retreat as a sufficient apology.\u201d<\/p>\n The spirits didn\u2019t seem to find the Knome\u2019s joke funny. As Joe examined his little savior\u2019s face, he realized it wasn\u2019t a joke.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are under arrest, Knome.\u201d The spirit said.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe,\u201d Ekaf said, his eyes not leaving the spirit, \u201cwatch out.\u201d<\/p>\n The spirit lunged forward, bringing his sword up then swinging it down at the little man. Ekaf ducked under the swing and took two steps to the right, dragging his blade through the dirt. He brought his sword back, as a baseball player does before their swing, then swung. Doing all this in the time it took for the spirit to recover. He hit the armored legs, knocking the man\u2019s calves out from under him and sending him toppling onto his back. But as the spirit hit the earth, the other four charged from the periphery.<\/p>\n Ekaf didn\u2019t turn, but he heard them coming. He ran forward. Hopping over the spirit he\u2019d knocked down, he kicked off the man\u2019s helmet and ran up the tree in front of him. He was parallel to the ground for a split second before he pushed off the trunk and flipped over the guards running towards him. He landed behind the four and before they could spin to face him, he\u2019d swept their legs out from under them with the flat of his blade.<\/p>\n Joe gaped.<\/p>\n \u201cApology accepted!\u201d The Knome cried as the original guard stumbled to his feet. \u201cNow, good day!\u201d<\/p>\n With that, Ekaf turned and zipped off into the woods with nothing more than a nod to Joe. This time Joe followed, crashing through the brush, his arms raised in front of his face to protect from the barrage of twigs and branches. They busted through briars and bushes, ran over rocks and roots, twisting their ankles while getting slashed by tree limbs. Joe\u2019s panting slowly turned into gasping. His gut began to cramp, his head throbbed, but the little Knome in front of him \u2013 who\u2019s legs pumped like the needle of a sewing machine \u2013 didn\u2019t slow.<\/p>\n Finally, after what felt like half an hour of cross-country sprinting, Joe spoke up.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, hold up,\u201d Joe gasped, leaning against a tree with one arm and clutching the aching muscles beneath his ribs with the other. \u201cI gotta have a break.\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf slowed to a stop, standing three yards or so from Joe, eyeing him with bright blue eyes. Stroking his beard, the Knome turned to stare into the woods, patting the golden handle of the knife that was back in his belt.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s with\u2026\u201d Joe said in between pants, \u201c\u2026that knife?\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf didn\u2019t answer. He continued to stare into the brush. Joe followed his gaze, leaning around the tree trunk. He couldn\u2019t see anything. He looked back to the Knome.<\/p>\n \u201cAre they coming?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Ekaf hesitated then shook his head and looked back at the young man. \u201cThey are, but we\u2019ve got time. We can take a break. What\u2019d you ask me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s with that knife?\u201d<\/p>\n Pulling the ivory bladed weapon from his belt, its blade now no longer than Joe\u2019s hand, Ekaf said, \u201cThis is the Duikii.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDookie?\u201d Joe snickered.<\/p>\n Offering the weapon to Joe, Ekaf corrected, \u201c\u2018Dui\u2019 as in \u2018dew\u2019 and \u2018kii\u2019 like the \u2018ki\u2019 in \u2018kind\u2019.\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe Dew Ki?\u201d Joe mumbled as he took the knife, holding it tightly in his fist. The handle looked almost as if it were some twisted limb snapped off of a tree coated in golden paint, but as he held it, he could tell it was made of something much heavier. For a dagger of that size, the thing weighed ten times what he\u2019d expected. Vines of gold wrapped around the hilt, fake leaves and shimmering berries were carved into the side, turning the deadly weapon into an art piece yet, somehow, each curve, each twisted golden greenery, added to the comfortableness of the handle in Joe\u2019s grip.<\/p>\n \u201cOne word, Duikii. It\u2019s the brother of the Suikii, Ruikii, and Thruikii. They are the Four Swords, forged by a great Knome named Grandfather. He was legend, shoot, still is.\u201d Ekaf shrugged, his eyes twinkling as he watched Joe flip the dagger from palm to palm. \u201cIt\u2019s a charmed weapon so be careful with it, it\u2019s got a few special abilities that-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJesus!\u201d<\/p>\n The dagger came to life. The vines squirmed around the handle, growing and spreading. The blade, the shimmering radiant white, grew with the hilt, becoming longer and broader. Joe stared, eyes bulging, jaw dropped. The dagger was now the broad sword that he\u2019d seen Ekaf with back in the clearing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can get even bigger!\u201d Ekaf said with a proud grin, as if the sword was his child. \u201cIt has killed many a foe and spared many more. That blade is older than you, my boy, older than your planet in fact, and it is sharper and stronger than almost all other weapons – second only to the Mystak Blade-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mystak Blade?\u201d Joe asked while swinging the sword at imaginary opponents. \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA sword that makes the Excalibur of your universe look like a twig\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n As Ekaf blabbered on and on about alien weapons, Joe paid little attention. He danced about the brush sparring with the trees. Without disturbing his monologue, Ekaf bowed his head and took his cone shaped hat off. Holding it like an ice cream cone with one hand, he fished inside it with the other. He retrieved a shiny, silver key and a dull plastic cube from within the cone like a magician pulling a bunny from a top hat. Plopping the hat back atop his head, Ekaf held the cube up to his eye. It was tiny, two inches by two inches on each side with a circular button in the center of one of the facades. The Knome pressed the button. With a bumble-bee like hum the cube came to life. The once dull sides became screens filled with miniscule textual options. The circular button became a light, shooting a hologram up a few inches from itself, creating a hovering image that floated in thin air. The fuzzy neon apparition was a word: EMPTY.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa, what\u2019s that?\u201d Joe asked as he tugged at the Duikii which was now imbedded in a tree trunk.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve never seen a key?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, the box!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, this is a warp cube. See, you came from Earth, which was\u2026\u201d He coughed abruptly, cleared his throat, then continued, \u201cWhich is a parallel universe of where you are now \u2013 Solaris. This warp cube lets me store items in a currently empty\u2026um\u2026dimension.\u201d As Ekaf spoke, he operated the cube. He tapped a few of the options on the tiny screens of the cube and the hologram word transformed into: SCAN. Joe\u2019s arms fell limp, leaving the sword in the side of the tree. His head cocked to the side as he wondered how \u2013 but mostly why \u2013 his subconscious had bothered to imagine such a bizzare dream. Ekaf continued, \u201cDespite what you saw with our little tussle back there, the blades and armor and all, this world is not ignorant of science. Our science is just\u2026different, that\u2019s all. You see, we have guns too, however, a good swordsman can block a bullet..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBet,\u201d Joe scoffed.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s doubt went unheard and the Knome prattled on. Joe\u2019s eyes fell on the key, a large silver key that looked like it belonged in the door of an ancient cathedral. Joe interjected with a query, \u201cWhere\u2019s that key go to?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEarth\u2026\u201d Ekaf answered, before returning to his prior point of explaining the differences between Earthen and Solarin sciences, \u201cWe have motorized vehicles but we also have wind and beast power transportation just like in the olden days in your world\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf ran the key through the greenish light that shot up from the warp cube. The key flickered, as if it were just an optical illusion, then disappeared. It was gone, as if it never existed. Then, a few seconds later, the green letters of the hologram were replaced by the key hovering above the cube. With that Ekaf tilted his cone-hat back and slipped the warp cube back atop his head.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Most things your people accomplish with electricity, we manage with magic.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe chuckled with bewilderment then changed the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cWho were those guys back there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey were knights\u2026\u201d he hesitated, bit his lip as he pondered, then continued, \u201cfrom the Key Library, which is where that key came from. You see, I\u2019ve broken a few laws here and there and now and then-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo did you use that key to bring me here?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ekaf paused, \u201chow\u2019d you-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s why they\u2019re mad at you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, see they-\u201d Ekaf doubled over, hacking as though his lungs sought to flee his body, but the episode was short, Ekaf quickly straightened up, \u201cYes! They\u2019re not fans of fate tamperers \u2013 especially when you go so far as I did. You\u2019re an illegal immigrant, you know? See, there are millions of universes, right? This universe wasn\u2019t necessarily the place your meant to ascend to when you got squashing by the semi. They\u2019re not big fans of that and, though they\u2019re mostly mad at me for doing these sorts of things, they would like to see you go back to where you were before I got in the way-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold up,\u201d Joe\u2019s head instinctively cocked to the side as his emotions tickled the cognitive switch labeled outrage, \u201cwould I be in heaven if it weren\u2019t for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHeaven can wait-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYea!\u201d Joe scoffed, \u201cThat\u2019s easy for you to say!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down, maybe you\u2019d be in heaven, maybe not.\u201d Ekaf shrugged, \u201cSolaris may be a tad bit of a let down compared to the city behind your Abrahamic pearly gates but <\/em>it sure as hell beats the hell out of treading water in some sort of lake of fire-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you saying there\u2019s a chance I would\u2019ve gone to hell?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m saying that at least two-thirds of your fellow Earth-folk disagree with you on the validity of your passport to paradise. Strong faith or not, if I were you, I\u2019d be in no hurry to figure out if you\u2019re right or wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough, I\u2019m here now anyways.\u201d Joe sighed, \u201cShould we keep moving?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYea,\u201d Ekaf nodded, \u201cbut we don\u2019t have to run anymore, we\u2019ve got time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould we just hide?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh no, we need to keep moving. They can follow the trail of this key, like a hound on the hunt, but now that I\u2019ve locked it safely away, the trail is so faint, they\u2019ll be wandering in spirals. Now, let me get my sword and we\u2019ll go on our merry way. I don’t know if you\u2019ve ever held a sword before but, if you haven\u2019t, get ready to get used to it. Solaris isn\u2019t the safest place, we may have duped those spirits but these woods are home to far worse things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis may be Hell\u2026\u201d Joe muttered under his breath.<\/p>\n The two trudged on, finding their way onto a trail as Ekaf elaborated on the importance of swordsmanship. His voice drained to a dull murmur in Joe\u2019s ears as he took in the world around him. Head swiveling, he stumbled onward like a child. They hiked through crispy leaf laden meadows beneath thick canopies that had emerged from winter like a student from his semester ready to live once again. Cutting through old woods, the trail led them onward into the ranks of new saplings that rose above the ashen remains of scorched forest. Then it curved upward, hanging on the hillsides, and ascended onto orange carpet dropped by shingle-barked pines, before the trail fell back to the valleys. Between the green mountains, simmering streams striped the lowlands, producing thick glossy leafed foliage and bright colored flower buds that eagerly waited to blossom. Each bizarre bird call, each lude leaf, and each strange scent sank into Joe\u2019s brain, planting the seeds of questions, millions of questions, in his mind. One of which he was about to ask when he looked down to see Ekaf had stopped.<\/p>\n Joe opened his mouth but the look in the Knome\u2019s sparkling blue eyes silenced him. Shaking his head slowly, so slowly that Joe wondered whether or not the movement was imagined, Ekaf snaked a hand down to the miniscule hilt at his hip. Ekaf mouthed two words.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t move.\u201d<\/p>\n The spirits found us! <\/em>Joe thought, But where are they?<\/em> Aside from birds, itty bitty beasts, and bugs, Joe only spotted one other living creature: Ekaf. And looking past him he saw nothing but forest. A couple yards from a stream barely a step wide the trail curved left to dodge the base of a hill. Nothing. <\/em>The valley was dominated by a thick-leafed, dusty-barked bush opposed only occasionally by a tree. Joe couldn\u2019t tell if the bush was one or a million of the same. As far as Joe could see into it, which wasn\u2019t far, the flora made a web of itself. Joe was sure their pursuer wouldn\u2019t be able to sneak through the thick brush and flank them. In some places the plant rose higher than Joe\u2019s head, stacked on top of each other and packed in like sardines as if it were a type of mangrove that grew on dry land. Behind him there was only more of the same.<\/p>\n Foliage but no foes. No one. <\/em><\/p>\n Where was the sound of scraping as blades sliding from their sheaths or clinking as armor rattled on running men? They couldn\u2019t have snuck up on us. It can\u2019t be them. <\/em>Ekaf was no longer watching Joe. His head had stopped shaking and he had turned to look back down the trail. Are we lost? <\/em>Following his gaze, Joe was just as puzzled as before. For what felt like ten minutes, Joe waited patiently for Ekaf to explain but finally he gave in to his curiousity and asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n The Knome didn\u2019t have to answer Joe\u2019s question, the rustling in the brush up ahead did it for him. What had appeared to be two fallen branches began to rise from behind a clump of the entangled shrubs. Joe had barely noticed them before, he\u2019d instantly wrote off their pale smoothness as rotting limbs who\u2019s bark had flaked off. Now, as he watched a beam of light glint off their round, glossy sides he realized they weren\u2019t once part of a plant but currently part of a beast. He was staring at a pair of curved horns.<\/p>\n As Joe\u2019s heart sank towards his intestines, he watched a long black snout lift from the cover of leaves. A fat black nose, dripping with slobber, pulsated in front of beedy black eyes that stuck to the side of the monster\u2019s head. The face was bull-like but the horns were far too large, more like an ox\u2019s, and the jaws were far too long and narrow, almost like a reptile\u2019s. The general size of the creature dwarfed any cow Joe had ever seen. Its shoulders were broader and its back steeped into a hump, just behind the neck, much like a buffalo. But unlike all the animals Joe\u2019s brain attempted to compare it too, he knew this was no herbivore. With a blood curtling growl, the lips rippled, revealing rows of teeth longer than his hand, sharp as the blade in Ekaf\u2019s belt.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a barren,\u201d Ekaf said, \u201cnow run!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t have to be told twice. He spun on his heels then bolted down the trail, back the way they had come. No sooner did he move then did he hear the beast crash through the forest after them. There was a horrible roar then a loud chink \u2013 Ekaf\u2019s fighting that thing? <\/em>\u2013 and Joe, continuing to run, turned his head to catch a glimpse. Ekaf stood with his tiny legs spread and the Duikii stretched, longer than Joe had yet seen it, with the flat of the blade held against the barren\u2019s horns. Joe turned back to the trail in time to see he\u2019d run off. His ankle twisted as it landed wrong in a clump of gnarled brush and sent him tumbling to the right. He fell into the bushes and his head smacked an up reaching rock<\/p>\n Light as white as the pearls atop heaven\u2019s gates filled his vision, but he wasn\u2019t about to stop. Groping the stone he\u2019d bashed, Joe scurried through the shrubbery, away from the trail, then plopped down between roots. Listening, he could hear heavy steps and the same rolling growl he\u2019d heard when his eyes first met the beast. But, as far as he could hear, there was no sign of Ekaf.<\/p>\n Oh God, the Knome\u2019s been swallowed whole! <\/em>The sound of the steps were now drowned out by the noise of breaking branches. His blindness faded and sight returned but now all Joe wanted was to close his eyes \u2013 he knew that the appetite of a beast of this stature could not have been satisfied by a three foot malnourished Santa Clause.<\/p>\n The steps stopped. The growling did too. All he could hear was the beast\u2019s breathing as its hulking head reached over the grove of greenery he hid within. It\u2019s a dream! It\u2019s all a dream! You\u2019re back in bed! You\u2019re late for your interview. Now come on! You\u2019ll be back on Earth when you open your eyes! <\/em><\/p>\n A drop of saliva fell onto his shoulder, splattering and splashing his neck.<\/p>\n His eyes opened. He could feel the barren\u2019s warm breath comb through his hair, he could smell it too \u2013 like rotten meat. He was sitting beneath the shadow of the monster\u2019s head.<\/p>\n Then he was up. Scurrying to his feet, he tore through the woods towards where he\u2019d last seen Ekaf. Behind him branches snapped and limbs splintered as the predator pursued. Joe burst out of the woods and back onto the trail. Still, there was no sign of the Knome but his sword lay alone on the path beside the stream. Joe dove on it, rolled to the opposite bank of forest, then rose, bringing the blade up with him, ready to swing as the barren closed in \u2013 but it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Joe lowered his weapon. The barren was there, just across the trail, standing in the shade of the woods and watching him with thoughtless black eyes. Staddling the creature\u2019s neck, Ekaf stroked the beast\u2019s mane with a handful of long fat leaves. Over and over, he ran the leaves down the barren\u2019s head, starting as far down the snout as he could reach and stopping before the mane. With each successive stroke, the behemoth\u2019s head fell a little lower and the growl grew a little softer and there was Ekaf, smiling goofily at Joe, as if it were all some sort of joke. As the adrenaline left Joe\u2019s system, rage took its place.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell was that?!\u201d<\/p>\n The barren perked up, grunting and refocusing its gaze on Joe. Hocking a loogie on his leaf, Ekaf sped up the rhythm of his petting and shot Joe a pale faced, wide eyed, what-are-you-doing <\/em>type glare. After the animal\u2019s head drooped once more and the eyelids began to bat like a charitable reader enduring some amature\u2019s attempt at fantasy fiction.<\/p>\n This time, Joe whispered his question, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on, is that your pet?\u201d<\/p>\n The goofy grin returned as the Knome scoffed silently but still he refrained from answering. The barren had returned to the almost hypnotized state it had been in when Joe had first turned to face it. Its knees began to shudder, its body began to wobble, until finaly it collapsed. Ekaf hopped off the giant carnivore and beckoned for Joe to follow him down the trail. Still fuming and still holding the Duikii, Joe followed. A few yards after they rounded the bend, Joe grabbed Ekaf by the shoulder and demanded an explanation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d He whispered sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll explain, but keep walking,\u201d Ekaf yanked his shoulder free and kept moving, \u201cand give me my sword back before-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d Ekaf stopped in his tracks.<\/p>\n Joe repeated himself, \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Ekaf asked, \u201cMe saving your life?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019d you know how to put it to sleep like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll barrens are like that.\u201d He smiled, \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to try it and, if it wasn\u2019t for you, I probably never would have gotten such an opp-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re telling me that those things, those giant man eating cows,\u201d Joe shuddered, \u201cwill fall asleep if you pet them on the head?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot exactly, you\u2019ve got to use a leaf-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA leaf?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA wet leaf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA wet leaf?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr damp grass, a wet towel, shoot, you could use that stupid red ribbon hanging from your neck if you-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBaby barrens are raised by their mothers. Their mothers lick them on their heads and it puts them to sleep. It still works once their grown up. The trick is getting back there to pet them. Few get that chance and fewer succeed.\u201d Ekaf explained, \u201cYou know how old I am and how long I\u2019ve wondered if that\u2019s an old husband\u2019s tale? Man, you know I think I bet on that once too\u2026if I could only remember who it was\u2026I bet they\u2019d owe me at least a thou-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait! So you left me alone with that bear, uh, that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBarren.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026so you could try something you didn\u2019t know would work?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one way to look at it.\u201d Ekaf shrugged, \u201cAnother way you could look at it is that I just saved your life\u2026again-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgain<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did just save your life didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but not \u2018again\u2019!\u201d Joe used his free hand to make air quotes, \u201cYou didn\u2019t save me from the car wreck!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnless, that is, you would\u2019ve wound up in Hell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d Joe fumed, having long sense forgotten to whisper, \u201cfirst off, that\u2019s speculation. You could\u2019ve just ruined my chance to get into Heaven. And second, that isn\u2019t saving my life<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEh,\u201d Ekaf shrugged, \u201cWell, I did save you from those spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpirits that wouldn\u2019t have been after me if not for you in the first place \u2013 just like that barren wouldn\u2019t have been after me if you hadn\u2019t brought me here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill beats Hell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know if I would\u2019ve gone to Hell!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow we\u2019re just going in circles.\u201d Ekaf stated.<\/p>\n Joe took a deep breath and let it out slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I please, please, pleeeaase have my sword back?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe handed the sword back. Ekaf shrunk it down and slid it back in his belt.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bottom line is,\u201d Ekaf said, \u201cthere\u2019s no going back\u2026though I suppose you could die here and see where that lands you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes and said, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n The two continued on down the trail.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the way, where are we?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I told you.\u201d Ekaf replied, his pace unmarred.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I know we\u2019re on Solar\u2026uh\u2026Solaris, but I don\u2019t know where on Solaris. If this is an entire planet, like Earth, then this forest must have a name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, see Solaris is the solar system, not the planet. And, specifically, this is Zouzu, Tadloe. Tadloe\u2019s a worm shaped continent and Zouzu is a section of woods and swamps in between the Saluman River and the Green River.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZuzu?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Zouzu\u2026like \u2018zow-zu\u2019. \u2018Zou\u2019 meant district to the ancient elves of Tadloe and \u2018zu\u2019 meant south.\u201d Ekaf elaborated, \u201cTadloe is just one of the ten continents beneath Solaris but, long ago, the people of Solaris thought Tadloe was the center of the-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold up,\u201d Joe interrupted, \u201chow come yall speak English here? Even those spirits spoke English?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow come you speak common tongue?\u201d Ekaf countered, then he chuckled and explained, \u201cLong ago the language was called Etihwy, it was an elven language, and the Etihwy elves were magnificent sea farring merchants. They spread the language across the known world and it stuck. Ofcourse, there are dozens of other languages, but almost everyone on this planet \u2013 everyone that travels that is \u2013 knows common tongue, or Etihwy, or English, whatever you want to call it, so you\u2019ll be able to fit right in\u2026if it wasn\u2019t for that ridiculously narrow bib you got around your neck. What is that? An ascot?<\/p>\n \u201cIts called a tie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a dumb name.\u201d Ekaf giggled, \u201cThat\u2019d be like calling my tunic a button. Who the hell came up with that and why do yall wear them? Everytime I go to Earth, near about your day and age, I see folks strutting around in those ridiculous tongued-collars. Rarely see a woman in one, I always assumed it was sort of like a collar for a dog that the women tied around their men. That\u2019s not the case is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, its not. Its just the fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFashion,\u201d Ekaf laughed, muttering, \u201cor lack thereof\u2026sorta kinky if you ask me. I mean, after all-\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cut Ekaf off for the ten dozenth time as another question spilled out his lips, \u201cSo is it just a coincidence that two different dimensions, or universes, or whatever you call these worlds, developped identical languages?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDepends on what type of person you are.\u201d Ekaf shrugged, \u201cThere are those who declare everything a coincidence and then those who don\u2019t believe in coincidence at all. Which are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose I believe there are no coincidences.\u201d Joe stated firmly, \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeither.\u201d Ekaf paused to hurdle a branch.<\/p>\n \u201cThat wasn\u2019t an option.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWasn\u2019t it?\u201d Ekaf shrugged, \u201cThen I\u2019d say both. Somethings are coincidence and somethings aren\u2019t. The future is no coincidence, but the past is nothing else but one big-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait, I meant to ask this before, when I asked where we were.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYea?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we headed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo the northern border of Zouzu, the Saluman River. We\u2019re actually headed for Suinus, the city at the center of Tadloe, built in the base of an ancient crater, but we\u2019ll be camping beside the Saluman River tonight. Tomorrow, we\u2019ll cross it and stay with a friend in the woods one more night before we arrive in Suinus on the third day \u2013 where we can get into the Key Library and rid ourselves of this key!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwo nights in the woods? We\u2019ll be sleeping in a tent in the same woods as those barrens?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the contrary!\u201d Ekaf raised a finger into the air, \u201cI haven\u2019t got a tent, but on the second night-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is definitely Hell.\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n As Ekaf described the accomodations for the next two nights, Joe went back to ignoring him. Despite the frightful incident at the intersection and the disturbing revelation that he was \u2013 supposedly – dead, Joe was beginning to feel alright. The strange old man\u2019s words seemed somewhat untrustworthy, but his behavior was beginning to win Joe over. Though this seemed to be a detour from destiny, it was an interesting one nonetheless and this Knome \u2013 as obnoxious as he had thus far proven to be \u2013 seemed fully capable of keeping him safe. Then there was the fact that Joe was somewhat confident that this was all some coma-induced dream. Might as well try to enjoy it. <\/em><\/p>\n He had always been a fan of hiking and, caught up in the world of adulthood, it\u2019d been a while since he\u2019d spent more than a few hours in the realm of the wild. Camping had always been fun but somewhat of a hastle on Earth \u2013 considering Joe\u2019s diabetes. Wait, am I still diabetic?<\/em> He had none of his supplies with him but he could tell that his blood sugar was stable, at least for the moment. I will be severely pissed if I find out that even in the afterlife I\u2019m still diabetic. Despite that warp cube, Solaris doesn\u2019t sound like they\u2019ve got any insulin hanging around.<\/em> The sun, although hidden behind a roof of leaves, was setting and darkness was falling fast in the woods of Tadloe. His stomach growled. Joe gulped, I\u2019ll know for sure whether or not I\u2019m still diabetic by tomorrow morning.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHow long until we reach this river?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot too much longer,\u201d Ekaf replied, \u201cbefore Solaris sets completely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSolaris is the sun?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Ekaf snickered, \u201cYou\u2019re pretty clever to be unemployed-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you know that?\u201d Joe demanded, \u201cHow do you know all these things about me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been stalking you, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re asking,\u201d Ekaf said, \u201cbut I did my homework. For instance, I know you\u2019re diabetic, I know-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs diabetes an issue here too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo-\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cursed beneath his breath, \u201cSo yall wouldn\u2019t have any medical supplies?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the contrary!\u201d Ekaf stopped and faced Joe triumphantly, \u201cWe have everything you need! We have the ability to cure you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cMagic!\u201d He winked, then continued his march, \u201cThe fella we will stay with tomorrow night, if you\u2019d like, can fix you right up! You\u2019ll never have to worry about diabetes again! You\u2019ll be brand new-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI half hoped that I wouldn\u2019t have to worry about diabetes in the afterlife.\u201d Joe stated.<\/p>\n Ekaf cleared his throat but said nothing.<\/p>\n Another question Joe had meant to ask squeazed its way to the forefront of his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Ekaf, those knights back there, you said they were from the \u2018Key Library\u2019 which, I believe you said, is where we are headed. And you said that that key was the key to Earth-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA key,\u201d Ekaf corrected, \u201ca key to Earth, but continue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA key to Earth, my bad, anyways, my question was\u2026uh\u2026is the Key Library a library of keys that lead to different universes?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, its- BLEH!\u201d A fit of coughs wracked the little man\u2019s body with such force that he tossed himself onto the ground. Joe helped him up as he corrected himself, \u201cKinda sorta\u2026\u201d Ekaf cleared his throat and they trudged forward. \u201cThere is a key for just about everywhere and everywhen in the world, in every world. I\u2019m talking past and present and<\/em> future. If you want to go somewhere, as long as life is there, there\u2019s a key for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was impressed and jealous, \u201cSo people in Solaris travel between dimensions all the time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the contrary, the Key Library, to most, is nothing more than myth. But I swear to you, it is yet another old husband\u2019s tale that turns out to be true. Still, it\u2019d be best if you don\u2019t go spreading its name. People will already be giving us weird looks thanks to the way you\u2019re dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded solemnly, ducking beneath a low hanging branch.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd those knights, you called them spirits, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026they\u2019re ghosts?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ekaf chuckled, as if the question\u2019s answer was blatantly obvious, \u201ca spirit is a species of intelligent beings, like an elf or a dwarf or a human. Spirits are mortals like you and I, and like you and I and all other mortals they can be killed. Beneath that armor, there is a flame in their chests, a purple flame. It is as much a charm as a curse because to kill a spirit, all you have to do is puncture the flame with malintentions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith malintentions?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. If you\u2019ve got nothing against the spirit, you can touch their flame \u2013 though I wouldn\u2019t go around touching people\u2019s flames,\u201d Ekaf snickered, \u201cthat might get you into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpirits, elves, dwarves,\u201d Joe shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m in Middle Earth!\u201d<\/p>\n The Knome stopped in his tracks and Joe tumbled over him into a bush.<\/p>\n \u201cMiddle Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLord of the Rings<\/em>,\u201d Joe explained as he clawed his way out of the foliage, \u201cit\u2019s from a popular series of books back home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting\u2026\u201d Ekaf scratched his beard as he tapped his foot twelve times upon a protruding lithic, then launched off again through the woods revamping his endless speech. \u201cWe should find ourselves in a clearing quite soon. We\u2019ll cut through to the east and hop on a trail that\u2019ll take us to the river. Keep your eyes peeled. You\u2019ve seen just about the worst these woods have to offer, but there is one beast that tops it. Don\u2019t ask their name, I don\u2019t want to jynx us. Get used to being amazed because Earth has not prepared you for the types of life that have evolved in Solaris.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe had no sense of time in this new world other than the sun in the sky. By the time they reached the riverside, the sun had set and the moon was glowing and Joe was ready to call it a night. He was still dressed for the interview \u2013 a white button up shirt tucked into a pair of loose fitting black slacks with a plain red tie wrapped around his neck that hung down to tickle his belt buckle and shoes that had never intended to be used as hiking books. His feet throbbed as he helped Ekaf build the camp fire.<\/p>\n They\u2019d decided to bivouac in a clearing atop a bluff that overlooked the river. It was a large body of water, but slow moving. It reminded Joe of the Tennessee River he\u2019d spent numerous summers on back in the States. He stared into the obsidian waters that reflected a distorted starry night sky, a sky like he\u2019d never seen back home on his industrialized planet. A brilliant aray of gassy balls of flame winked at Joe. The swirling masses of distant universes struck him like a wave of warm lake water, squelching his homesickness with awe.<\/p>\n But the awe eventually grew stale. Nauseating thoughts found their way back into his mind. Could I be staring at Earth? Could my loved ones be looking up in the sky right now? Staring at me?<\/em> His heart throbbed. It\u2019s a dream Joe, you can never tell how long a dream is while your dreaming. This is just a normal dream. You never even got in that wreck. That\u2019s why this place is familiar. This is just a normal dream.<\/em> His eyes suddenly focused on the moon, or was it a moon? The floating orb was covered with green foliage, misty ribbons of clouds, and navy flats of distant seas. Is that a moon or a planet? <\/em>Then a new question surfaced as he noted there was more than one \u2013 he could count the edges of two other moons stacked one past the other.<\/p>\n \u201cAre those moons?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Ekaf answered without looking up, \u201cWhat else would they be?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many moons do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf knelt by the fire the two had made. It was a log cabin fire: two base logs running parallel, smaller branches stretching across it and two bigger logs set on top that were perpendicular to the base logs. The pattern was repeated with kindling shoved between each layer. Dragging his eyes from the masterpiece he tended, Ekaf craned his neck and glared at the lunar chain. A smile stretched across his lips and the old face that seemed to be constantly enthralled with the task at hand, whatever it was, suddenly softened. His eye lids sagged, his eye brows relaxed, and he let out a sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cJust three,\u201d Ekaf said speaking slowly for the first time since Joe had met him, \u201cthey\u2019re eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Joe yelped.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re dragon eggs. Moon dragons, we call them.\u201d As he spoke, he snapped the twigs off the limbs piled chaotically beside him then laid them across the fire. \u201cYour moon is one too. It just hasn\u2019t decided to hatch yet. That\u2019s why its still barren and pale. They pick and choose, the dragons do, though some around some planets are duds, I suppose your moon could be a dud too, but, as for ours, they\u2019ve all hatched.\u201d Ekaf nodded, a hint of sadness in his voice, as he nudged a few burning branches nearer to the center of combustion. \u201cThe last one hatched not too long ago though he has yet to make landfall\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey come down here?!\u201d Joe\u2019s voice cracked as he yelped.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey must be huge!\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cSolaris is much smaller than your solar system. So are our moons. But yes, they are massive beasts. And they\u2019re absolutely beautiful.\u201d Ekaf sat back down, finally content with his creation. \u201cFew ever get the privilege to ride them.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked down from the moons to observe the dancing fire. He frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got matches?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNope,\u201d Ekaf said, \u201cnever needed em-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMagic?\u201d Joe pressed on, joining the Knome at the fire side.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but don\u2019t ask me to teach you. I\u2019m a swordsman, my magical grammar is atrocious, just enough to get by. The friend I\u2019m taking you to can help you with that.\u201d Ekaf said, shifting his butt in the dirt until he found a suitable position, continuing to talk all the while, \u201cShoot, if everything goes smoothly, I\u2019ll send you to a school. It wouldn\u2019t hurt. But that depends if we\u2019ve got the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe plopped down across from him<\/p>\n \u201cBut for now, we should rest. Enjoy the view and let the dancing lights in the night sky lull you to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo blankets?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust dirt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlrighty.\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019d you bring me here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, for one, if I was about to go to Heaven\u2026I\u2019d consider it sort of rude of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you could\u2019ve been going-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, I know, let\u2019s not get into that again. And I am thankful for you saving my life once I got here. From what I can tell, you\u2019re really looking out for me, which means you probably have a good reason for why you brought me here in the first place\u2026I just want to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf looked away from Joe and stared into the fire. \u201cI wish I could explain it all to you in one night, that is, what I brought you here to do, but I can\u2019t\u2026but you shouldn\u2019t be thanking me, I should be thanking you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned, \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay, listen. There were once twelve people here in Solaris, twelve heroes, that we called the Mystakle Samurai.\u201d<\/p>\n Mystakle, <\/em>Joe thought, where have I heard that?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cToday, the last Samurai, Benjamin Fasthoof, was defeated. I brought you here so that you could save them-\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scoffed as he loosened his tie. He crawled over to where a smooth rock surfaced among the dirt and laid back, cupping the back of his head with his palms. Once settled, he watched his small companion.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Ekaf asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou brought me here to save your heroes \u2013 don\u2019t you know who I am?\u201d Joe laughed, \u201cYou spent all day saving my life! Why do you need my <\/em>help? What can I do that you can\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf watched the bouncing flames of the camp fire. Tiny red embers rained upwards into the night sky like fireflies, soaring up into the atmosphere to join the galaxies above. He took his hat off and sat it beside him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may not have faith in yourself, but I have faith in you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was still unconvinced, \u201cThat\u2019s great. Really nice of you. But seriously? Me? Come on now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t really expect me to believe you, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment, there was silence. Joe was puzzled. In part from the the Knome\u2019s brash claims but also by his suddenly solemn behavior. Whether or not Joe thought Ekaf was making any sense, he would\u2019ve bet money that the Knome was being serious.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t trust me,\u201d Ekaf finally said, \u201cthen you don\u2019t have to follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa!\u201d Joe curbed his disbelief and used a softer tone, \u201cEkaf. If I\u2019m going to wander around these woods alone, you might as well kill me now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive it time.\u201d Ekaf assured Joe.<\/p>\n This is definitely a dream. <\/em>Joe thought. The question is, whether I am dreaming in my bed or in a hospital room. <\/em>Yet, something stood out about the whole experience that led Joe to believe it might not be a dream. There were few dreams he could remember questioning while in the dream. Those few that he did \u2013 lucid dreams \u2013 then gave him free reign, allowing him to do virtually anything he could fathom. Not in this dream. In this dream he was bound by the same laws or reality that were enforced in his waking life back on Earth. Dream or not, I need to start being serious. <\/em>An idea suddenly struck Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said the Key Library has keys to anywhere and any\u2026uh\u2026anywhen, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026could I find a key to Earth, just before my wreck, and stop it from happening?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose you could.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was thrilled, \u201cI can go home!\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf\u2019s voice was emotionless, \u201cI can\u2019t stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n For some reason, despite having had no choice in the matter when Ekaf brought him to Solaris, Joe felt bad for being so excited at the prospect of ditching the Knome.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry Ekaf, but I have friends and family and responsibilities.\u201d Joe explained, \u201cBesides, I\u2019m no savior. I think we\u2019d all be better off if I went home and you found someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Ekaf was silent.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on Ekaf,\u201d for some reason, Joe felt he needed some sort of permission, \u201cI\u2019m sure there are plent of other people on Earth \u2013 plent of more capable people \u2013 that would love this opportunity!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrue\u2026I understand, Joe. If you don\u2019t want to help me and my people, that\u2019s fine.\u201d Ekaf assured him, \u201cI haven\u2019t saved your life \u2013 three times now \u2013 and promised you a cure for diabetes in order to guilt you into helping me save the lives of numerous innocent people, I wouldn\u2019t do that. After all, any decent person who has the opportunity to save another life would do so without expecting a reward, I was just doing my part as a half decent person-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d with such an extensive guilt trip, Joe temporarily conceded \u2013 at least for the conversation \u2013 but he no longer felt bad about backing out, \u201cI get it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t stop you. I won\u2019t harbor any hard feelings either. It\u2019d be my fault really \u2013 for misjudging your character. You\u2019ve got responsibilities, you\u2019ve got things to do. I get it, you\u2019re an adult. I\u2019m sure you have a family to care for and bills to pay and-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEkaf. I get it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou really just don\u2019t have time to be good Samaritan, I understand. I just hope you\u2019ll forgive me for taking you away from your busy life for a few days. What kind of person would I be if-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEKAF!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, the Knome shut up.<\/p>\n \u201cI get it.\u201d Joe growled. He cleared his throat and proceeded with a friendlier tone, \u201cI haven\u2019t decided to leave just yet\u2026I was just thinking about it\u2026what I really want to know is why \u2013 why you chose me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt may be difficult, but how about I try and explain it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d appreciate that.\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n Ekaf\u2019s voice, what with his guilt trip successful, was suddenly that same bouncy and bright tone that Joe\u2019d first encountered further south in the woods of Zouzu. He said, \u201cAlright, well\u2026I honestly don\u2019t know where I should start or if I should even try but I suppose I will start at the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA novel place to start!\u201d Joe chimed.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright then, here we go\u2026the dawn of civilization, well…\u201d He paused to scratch his beard. \u201cWell the dawn of history, beings were romping around long before they began keeping a record. Anyways, history began with the hatching of the first moon and the rise of a man who you will hear plenty about. His name is Creaton Live-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCreaton Liveh,\u201d Joe muttered, fearing the Knome was about to digress into a very long speech of irrelevant information, as he had done repeatedly throughout their hike. Who knew you could be bored in dreams?<\/em> He said outloud, \u201cSounds intriguing but I\u2019m not sure if I need to get your entire world history. I mean-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh no, Creaton Live is alive!\u201d Ekaf explained.<\/p>\n \u201cWait\u2026\u201d Joe frowned, \u201cdid your history just start?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cQuestions, questions, questions, I told you it was going to be hard to explain. If I don\u2019t start from the beginning, you\u2019ll continue to assault me with questions. You\u2019ll be confused and I\u2019ll be annoyed. You should trust me, Joe. I\u2019ve gotten you out of two \u2013 and, in my opinion, three \u2013 sticky situations in the last twenty-four hours. Now, if you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019ll start over. History began with a man named Creaton Live. For the Tribe of Live, it was the Year of the Eagle. They didn\u2019t number their years, we started that up later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo year one, Creaton Live,\u201d Joe paused to yawn, \u201cyou\u2019ve got to hurry before I fall asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I put you to sleep, just go back and read it later-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRead it?\u201d Joe sat up but saw no book in the Knome\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n Ekaf whispered, \u201cI wasn\u2019t talking to you, I was talking to the reader-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said, I can \u2018reiterate her\u2019<\/em> if you fall asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, okay\u2026sorry, no more interruptions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoubt it\u2026\u201d the Knome grunted, cleared his throat, then began, \u201cYear one started the day the first moon dragon was born \u2013 a day that every early civilization recorded in some way shape or form.\u201d Ekaf stopped as Joe\u2019s yawn spread, then continued, \u201cBut Creaton\u2019s story begins twelve months before\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With one wavering eye, he read the clock, \u201c1:15 P.M.\u201d Not a minute more, not a minute less. Sheets of gold slipped between the rivets of the venetian, slicing his shoulders as he rolled away from the clock. How long has it been since I\u2019ve slept this good? \u00a0Tightening the comforter around him, he burrowed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":520,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-552","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1163,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/552\/revisions\/1163"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/fatebound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}