Chapter 13: Memories

Silver woke up in a strange environment. The…room was part of a ….tree. Was that a tree? It was …blue in color. And where was Leil? Where was this place while he was at it? This was strange.

The last thing he remembered was that he and Leil really needed to make a fast exit from the authorities down at the east coast of the U.S. He really was going to transport to somewhere more familiar like Europe or someplace preferably on Earth. Looked like the plan had backfired.

Silver got out of bed and really looked at his surroundings. The floor he stepped on looked sturdy enough to support his weight. Silver felt like he was probably really high up in the atmosphere. He wanted to be sure the thing would be able to support his weight. Not that he was scared of heights; he just liked to feel secure.

The inside of the room consisted of the bed he had slept in and a small and simple table that held a jug of – something and some stuff that looked like food. Silver gingerly picked the food up and looked at it from all sides. Looked like the equivalent of an apple. ….Only it was an orangey color instead of a red.

Well, here goes, Silver thought to himself. He opened his mouth and took a bite out of the – apple. Chewed it for a moment and let the taste of the fruit sink in. Silver's face lit up at the taste. It was sweet. Really sweet. He loved sweet things no matter where it came from. Silver gulped the fruit down and tasted drink from the jug. Pure water. Really pure water.

If he didn't know better, Silver thought, this would be like heaven.

Just then, he heard the hanging that separated the outside world from the room, open.

Silver swiveled, to meet whoever it was. Instantly wary of his surroundings and the stranger.

"Aaaahh," The man said. "You are awake. Good."

"Who are you? And where is this place?" Silver asked in a no-nonsense kind of tone, "And where is Leil?"

"Your mate is outside, conversing with my people. You and your mate are welcome to this world," The man said pleasantly, despite Silver's tone of voice.

"What is this world? And who are you?" Silver asked again.

"This dimension is called Fonas. I am the god, Hilel," the – god said.

"God?" Silver asked a bit bewildered by what he had said. "You're a – god?"

"Why yes, I most certainly am," Hilel said conversationally.

"Um – that's a bit weird where I come from," Silver said, "Gods aren't real on Earth. Sure everyone prays to this god and that but it's not like you ever get your prayers answered."

"So your mate has told me," Hilel said. "The notion that a god is real and that he or she would mingle among their people is completely beyond him."

"Hm…Oh- um. I'm Silver, in case Leil haven't told you who I am yet," Silver said, belatedly introducing himself.

"Leil has indeed told me who you are when we met," Hilel said.

Silver took interest in his feet and stared at them. He honestly didn't know what to say to a god. If he was really a god. What did one say to a god? And he really wanted to see Leil. He was worried. Until he saw Leil with his own two eyes, the worry wouldn't be gone. And if Hilel was really a god, he didn't want to sound rude by asking rather demandingly where Leil was.

Hilel looked at the youngster. Silver was suddenly shy after he had announced himself as a god. That was to be expected. As Leil had told him, on Earth it was unheard of for someone like himself to mingle with his people or better yet – exist in reality. To the humans of Earth, a god was just some idol that you prayed to for salvation and forgiveness. Not someone who would really help you when you're in need. Because to the two youngsters, the god of their Earth really did not exist. Hilel wondered how their god lived. Based on the universal law that made gods, gods, one cannot exist if no one really believed in you. He would have to ask one of them about that.

"I'm sure you would like to see your mate now wouldn't you," Hilel told Silver, eyes sparkling with hidden laughter at Silver's sudden shyness.

"…Yes," Silver said hesitantly.

Surprising. From what Leil had said, the term mate was not used on Earth. And here Hilel had just thrown it in casually and Silver hadn't blinked and eye at the term.

"Come then," Hilel said, motioning for Silver to follow him out.

Silver followed him after a moment.

--

Once outside, Silver saw that he was on a kind of wooden planked walkway with railings for safety. He really was really high off the ground.

"Come," Hilel told Silver, "The gathering is being held down below. I will show you."

Hilel walked to a nearby ladder and proceeded to climb down it. Silver looked at it doubtfully before he sighed and did the same. He really did hate heights.

When his feet finally reached solid ground, he looked around the place. It was a dense forest surrounded by trees. A whole lot of different colored trees. This wasn't a different dimension type/ cultured shock, this was a color shock. His surroundings were surrounded by things the color of bright gems. Literally. It was like the fairy realm come to life.

"Your mate is over there," Hilel pointed to a group of people around a bonfire, sitting and talking in a friendly manner. "Go to him."

Silver stood there uncertainly. He was beginning to have second thoughts. What if Leil had found someone else to be with?

Hilel apparently saw some of his thoughts because he said, "Do not worry. I think you will find yourself reassured. Leil challenged one of my people yesterday for slighting you."

"What did the person say?" Silver asked with interest.

"That you were a weak human for falling unconscious right after a teleportation," Hilel told him, amused. "Thalin doesn't know that teleporting from another dimension can be very tiring, especially when you have never done so before. And he hasn't. So he wouldn't know now, would he?"

"No, he wouldn't," Silver said. "I never thought we'd end up here. I was aiming for a different continent on my planet. Not something as drastic as another dimension and planet."

---

As they talked, they walked towards the group at the bonfire. Unnoticed, a pair of eyes watched them. The pair of eyes noted the way the youngster looked, the color of his eyes, his hair color, how light of dark his skin was – everything. Yes…how unusual…that his son had returned while he had not….

----

"Silver! You're awake!" Leil's voice said, sounding very relieved.

Silver turned from his conversation with Hilel to look into Leil's eyes. He found himself smiling in relief as well. Leil was alright. His beating heart could calm down now.

Despite Hilel's friendliness, he was still wary inwardly.

They met halfway and hugged each other tightly.

"I'm glad you're alright," Silver whispered into his ear.

"So am I," Leil said, smiling happily. "Have you eaten?"

Silver frowned in thought, "Some kind of fruit that looked like an apple but was orange in color. What was that? It was sweet?"

Leil grinned. "It's called chain. I knew you'd like sweet stuff."

"Hn…," Silver said indecipherably, glancing in Hilel's direction. The god was talking to one of his people, seemingly very into the conversation. "He still hasn't told me what all these people are called. I'm sure they have a distinction. I mean, we're called humans right? So what are they called? What can they do? Are they like us in the normal sense?"

"Whoooaaa there!" Leil said, laughing at the barrage of questions from Silver. "Slow down a bit. I can't answer all your questions at once. And I can't answer some of them that you're going to ask. One by one, Silver."

Leil led him to a piece of log big enough for both of them to sit down on it. "Sit."

"Alright," Leil said, his face going into lecture mode, "These people are the Sha'ni and they are like you. They can do a lot of the stuff you can do. Like teleportation, telekinesis, pyrokinetic, and a lot of other variety. They look a lot like you too. Which is really weird. Are you sure you're not really related to them."

Silver's face went thoughtful. "You know, I never really knew my parents. They died when I was five. I got sent to the orphanage because I had no relatives to take care of me. But I still have a photo of my parents. And really, now that you say it. Dad and mom really looked like them. The hair style. I remembered how some of the kids in school used to tease me about dad's hair. It was emerald green."

"He didn't seem to care what people said about him though. When I came home with what they had said, all indignant about it, he said that it was how it was – the hair. The color was natural he said and no matter what, it didn't matter what they said. He knew it, I knew it and that was all that mattered."

Silver's voice was wistful. He remembered the time when they were still alive. It was a happy memory when they were still there to take care of him. And then they died. It was so mysterious, up until this day, he was still wondering about it. How could they have died so suddenly? They weren't old or sick or anything. In fact, they were just about the happiest couple that he had ever known.

---

He still remembered that day when he had come home to find them dead in bed. Silver had just come home from school. The bus had dropped him off at his stop and he had walked the short way home. Silver was wondering in his tiny mind why his daddy hadn't come to walk home with him like he always did.

At home, the house was eerily silent. Mommy wasn't putting around the house like she usually did. He went to the garden in their back yard. If she wasn't in the house surely she was in the garden? She wasn't there either. And where was Daddy? Silver was beginning to panic. Where were they? He ran up the stairs as fast as short legs would allow and into their bedroom.

He sighed in relief when he saw that they were just in bed, sleeping. He went to daddy, annoyed that he wasn't at the bus stop to walk him home. Silver grabbed his daddy's hands. They were cold.

"Daddy, you didn't come to the bus stop today," Silver whined at him. "Why are you sleeping? You promised you'd be there everyday."

There was no response. He shook his daddy's hands. When there was no answer, he shook it more strength. And still there was no response. Silver was beginning to panic once again. Why won't he wake up? He went to mommy and tried to wake her up as well, with the same effects. She didn't wake up. He didn't wake up.

Silver ran down the steps and out of the house to the neighbor next door. She was a friendly old lady and adored Silver. She always gave him cookies when he went to visit.

"Missus Jayne, Missus Jayne!" Silver screeched at the top of his lungs, Getting hysterical at this point. "Mommy and Daddy won't wake up!"

"Dear, dear, what is the matter?" She said worriedly. "Don't shout Silver."

"Mommy and Daddy won't wake up. I shook and I shook them and still they won't wake up," Silver babbled, in tears.

Missus Jayne frowned and tried to calm him as she called the police. They came fifteen minutes later, Silver still in a hysterical mood. The police went into the house and came out a few minutes later, pronouncing that Mommy and Daddy were dead.

He cried and cried. They couldn't do anything to calm him down. In the end, the lady the police had took him to gave him something and he fell into a dreamless and painless sleep.

--

"Silver?" Leil asked anxiously. "Are you alright?"

Silver pulled out of his reverie. Smiling wearily. "Yes, I'm alright. Just remembering the past. That's all. It's the only happy one I have. Besides you."

Leil looked at him in concern. "Are you sure? You had a very sad expression on your face and you weren't listening to a thing I was telling you."

Silver smiled reassuringly. "Yes. Come on; show me what I can eat around this place."

Smiling, Leil showed him.