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spent

03.22.04 (6:34 pm) [edit]

I’m in love and I don’t know how I got here. In this place, so far away from you and me, so far away from you and me, its been spent so many times before, and I’m pretty scared, that I’m goanna lose in the end, but when it comes ill be there with you, cause I’m in love, I’m in life, with the children and the world and sometimes I fell like sleeping forever and never wakening, but then I remember its just a dream, like you and me, its time to leave, time to leave, cause well be here forever if we don’t go, and I don’t want to be here, and I don’t want to be here, its like cotton candy…. I’m spent

"My Release"

03.22.04 (6:22 pm) [edit]

Juley you’re the only one,
The only thing that’s real,
I want to be with you for all my time,
You’re the sweetest thing of all,
If I leave this place, I want to leave with you.

Oh please, oh please, don’t you understand?
There’s so much more to this then what meets the eye,
Not just pain, love is joy,
Not just desire, desire is warmth,
Not just Golden, Golden is binding
This is what so many words can’t describe,
Because this pain is not bad,
But instead makes me glad,
Makes me strong,
Makes you and me real, most of all.

I care for my love,
As my love cares for me.

These are all the things that I want of me
Of my want, I want with you,
This is because,
Of my joy, love with pain,
Of my warmth, warmth is desire,
Of my binding, binding is golden,
But most of all, all the freedom,
Freedom to see with you all the colors, eyes can’t see.

All is good, all is right,
There’s no other way,
No other way I’d like to be,
I want to share all my time,
My time of you, with all that matters,
That way our times will come together, and last forever,
There is no beginning; there is no end.

Oh please, oh please lent this be,
I’ll make it worth it, worth it because,
There’s nothing else,
Nothing worth dieing for,
Nothing worth living for,
If there’s no you.

Argos’s first day of school

03.17.04 (10:35 am) [edit]

“...as the eighteen day Helot revolt continued in lower San Francisco today, twenty nine new Spartiate causalities have been reported. Despite the mayors comments yesterday, the federal government has yet to make official commentary on what has been declared a police action in the region.” My Nanny, and my families house Perioeci, Willow, turned off the radio on my alarm clock.
“Argos, wake up sleepy, it’s time to get up, you don’t want to be late do you?”
As the morning comes upon me, I rise from my slumber, excited for the coming day.
“Is it morning already, Willow?” I asked.
“I’m afraid it is; go take a shower, and get dressed. When you’re done come downstairs and get your breakfast.”
“Ok”, I told her, as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Willow smiled at me and rubbed my hair with her hand.
“I’m really proud of you Argos,” she whispered in my ear. She got up from my bedside and walked over to my door. She stopped, blowing me a kiss, before she continued down the hallway. Fumbling with the sheets for a while I was rather reluctant to get out of bed. After a few minutes, though, I arose from my bed knowing that it might anger my mother and father if I was too late getting to the table. Getting up I walked over to my door and walked across the hallway over to the bathroom. Trying to buy back the time I lost from sleeping in my bed longer then I should have, I dunked my head in the sink and rinsed my hair with water, making sure all of it got wet. While walking back to my room drops of water escape off my head and leave a wet trail behind me. Opening my closet door I discover (after some rummaging around) the school uniform that Willow had bought for me last week. It was rather plain, and gray’ with a little accent. It still excited me though, and I changed in to it rather quickly. Slowly I crept out of my room and walked down the length of the hallway. As I made my way down the stairs each step creaked under my weight and groaned with agony. In the kitchen below me, a television was placed on the kitchen table that obscured my mother and father. My father was wearing his green uniform as always. (Don’t think I’ve ever seen him without it). Next to the television there was a half eaten grapefruit with a spoon dug into the side of it, and two cups of coffee, with warm white steam rising above them.
“Oh, Argos, you look so handsome in your uniform. Stay there while I go get the camera to take a picture of you.”

Willow left the room for a minute to go get the family camera, it was one of those new ones you could plug into the computer. Willow was obsessed with it and took pictures every chance she got. My Father and Mother however didn’t look up from the glowing monitor that they were so attached too, not even to take a glimpse at me. My mother just simply reached out from behind the obscuring television and grabbed her cup of coffee and retreated once more behind the screen. Willow returned holding the camera far out in front of herself so she could see the image in the screen on the backside of the camera. Placing her index finger on the camera trigger, she pulled down. A quick blinding flash flickered and momentarily disoriented me. “Oh, you blinked, I’ll have to take another one. This time try not to blink.” She pressed down on the trigger again and once more the flash bolted forth, all the while I strained to keep my eyes open. “That one came out much better. Go into the kitchen and greet your mother and father.”
Mumbling I walked down the remaining portion of the staircase and entered the kitchen, walking over to the table on the other side.
My father glanced over the screen at me, and said, “You’re seven already? Hard to believe. Hmm, you already look like a soldier. Remember to be tough, and don’t let anyone pick on you. Your brothers there too, I’m sure he can show you the ropes.”
With that said he turned away and once more submerged with his television. Pulling out a chair from the table I sat down eager for my breakfast. Willow walked over carrying three plates of eggs she put two down in front of my mother and father and another in front of me.
“Argos, your hairs greasy, did you really take a shower this morning or did you just stick your head in the sink and rinse it off?” Willow scolded.
“No, of course I took a shower, my hair just looks greasy sometimes,” I told Willow pretending to act insulted by her accusation.
“Argos, what have I told you about lying?”
“I’m not lying, really, I took my shower,” I pleaded
“Well you don’t really have enough time to take a shower now, anyway, hurry up and finish your eggs. The bus is going to be here in ten minutes”.
Focusing on the eggs, I ate to my heart’s’ content. Willow always gave me more food then I could really eat, and there was still a small portion of egg left on my plate as I got up from the table. Willow was waiting for me at the front door as I came out of the kitchen, she held up my jacket and my bag.
“Don’t forget to write to us, and its chilly outside, so put your jacket on.” A look of joy came over Willow’s face, “Next time I see you, you won’t be a dear little child anymore, you’ll be a man. Now hurry up or you’ll miss the bus”.
She helped me into my oversized jacket, It had always been too big for me, but Willow kept insisting I would grow into it. Willow hugged me goodbye. I walked out the front door and up our driveway, that curved up towards the top of the hill. Looking back at the house below me, I saw Willow waving at me, with her hand high in the air. Waving back I turned and continued up the hill. Once at the top of the hill I saw two other boys sitting by a row of mailboxes. I had seen them before, but didn’t really know them too well though. One of them was sitting on his bag and looked kind of grumpy, while the other one was running around him in circles making airplane noises. Dropping my bag on the ground, I sat down on the curb next to the grumpy boy. He turned and looked at my, staring at me with scornful eyes It was somewhat unsettling.
“Are you all right?” I asked him with a level of concern.
“What you care?” he grumbled, turning to look away from me.

Shrugging it off I stared off into space, wonder what school would be like and if all the other boys would be as grumpy as the one sitting next to me or would they be more like the kid running in circles. A long orange bus turned around the corner of the street coming up the other side of the hill. The kid making airplane noises stopped and grabbed his bag. Following suit I did the same and got up from the side of the curb. The three of us lined up and boarded the bus. The bus driver was an elderly bald man. The bus was crowed with young boys, they were yelling, throwing things around and just being alltogether as disrupt full as it seemed possible. The boy who had been making airplane noises runs towards the back of the bus to join in the rowdiness of the other boys, and in doing so pushed me and the grumpy kid to one side. The grumpy kid took the only remaining bench near the front of the bus. Not wanting to join the other kids in the front I sat down next to the grumpy kid.
“You still want to know what was upsetting me?” he asked as I sat down.
“Sure,” I answered.
“Kids. Kids like them. They’ve got no self-control, not like you, you’re cool,” he said with a whisper of irritation in his voice. “I’m Draco, what’s your name?”
“I’m Argos,” I replied.
The side of his mouth curled upwards in a half smile, “I hope we become good friends, Argos.”
He gave out a breath of sarcasm and looked out the window. Placing my head back on the seat I closed my eyes and fell asleep. When I woke up we had arrived at the school and Draco was poking me to get up.
“Oh, are we there already?”, I groaned.
“Yep, you’ve been out for almost two hours. Now get a move on or we’ll be late and wont know where to go.” Draco hissed at me. Draco, about a dozen other kids, and I clambered off the bus. A man in a green uniform and four older boys greeted us. My brother Hector was among them.
The man in the green uniform stepped forward, “I’m the Head-master here at Zeus Academy. I will be your Mother and Father for the next nine years of your lives. My job is to prepare you to be soldiers, loyal and obedient to your state. There are to be no problems. Am I understood? These four boys will be your brothers from this point on; they will go over the school rules with you and then show you to your bunks. You are to do everything they tell you to”. The man in the green uniform took a step backwards and marched off of the paved courtyard of the school and up a staircase leading to a distant building.
One of the four older boys then stepped forward, “rules, um right. Rule one, don’t speak unless spoken two, rule two do what you’re told, and do it fast, rule three don’t steal anything that belongs to another student, rule four if you do steal something, don’t get caught” the boy laughed “and rule four um five err what was the last rule again? Oh, right don’t flinch”, and with that the boy struck the airplane boy on the wrist with a stick that he had held earlier to his side. The boy gave out a screech of pain. The older boys pointed and laughed at him, slapping their knees in amusement at there own cruel joke.
Still chuckling one of the older boys pointed to an old building at the top of a hill adjacent to the one the headmaster had climbed, “that’s where you kids are bunking, follow us. We’ll let you in”. As the now spooked group of kids and myself followed the older boys up the winding paths and staircases to our bunks, I pulled my brother over.
“Hector, what’s wrong with you, do you think that’s funny? Don’t you think you hurt that boys feelings?”

“Woo, woo, woo... what’s in to me? What’s in to you I hurt his feelings? He’s a Spartiate, he’s a worrier like his father, and his father before him, if he can’t handle that then he’s weak, and we don’t need that,” my brother argued. Hector then sped up his pace and left me behind with the other kids as he caught back up with the older boys. Why was Hector acting like that, he was always nice when he was younger, had he really changed that much in the past four years since I had seen him last? As we approached the old wooden building one of the older boys unlocked the door. As he did so a fox scampered out from behind the door and darted for the woods. “Darn foxes, they get into everything” Hector mumbled. One of the other boys led us into the building, it was poorly lit, and smelled strongly of urine. I held my hand over my noise to help reduce the potency of the smell.
“Go ahead and pick out your own beds, You got fifteen minutes to settle in until you’ll be expected at the mess hall for lunch, it’s the first building on your left as you walk down the path, and don’t be late.” Hector and the other older boys left and shutting the door behind them. Most of the boys by this point had already claimed a bed; I walked over to one of the few remaining ones. It had a large dark gray stain that sank into the striped mattress; it made me kind of sick looking at it. I unzipped my bag and pulled out the blue sleeping bag my mother had packed for me. Once I had laid it over the mattress, I started to feel a lot less green. Jumping on the bed I stretched my arms out, and gave out a bellowing yawn. Leaning over I reached into my bag and pulled out my book. After skipping to the section I had left off in I managed to get in a few more pages before I noticed some of the others leaving to go to lunch. Dropping the book on the bed, I got up and head towards the mess hall.
It was a large room; it had at least twelve rows of tables. The line for food was very long. As I walked over to get in line, an older boy pushed me and said, “hey this was my spot in line, you shouldn’t take things that aren’t yours,” he laughed.
I stood back letting him take my place in line. After some time as I made my way further towards the front of the line, I noticed three older boys pushing an older man with tan skin and long black greasy hair, who was carrying a trash can. The boys continued their harassment of the man unaware of my observing them. One of the boys then knocked the man over onto the ground as another poured the contents of the trash can on his head. They then laughed as they walked off. The old man stumbled back to his feet as he tried to clean up the mess that the boys had created.
“Why isn’t anyone helping that man?” I thought to my self. Knowing full well that if I lost my place that I might not get any lunch, I stepped out of line so as that I could help the man. As I walked over to the man he hid his face. Reaching down I picked up a peace of trash and handed it to the man, he then relaxed and smiled taking the piece of trash from my hand.
“Hey, you, what are you doing?” shouted a man in a green uniform like the one the headmaster was wearing earlier. The man walked over to us and pushed the old man back down onto the ground and then grabbing my arm and heaving me back onto my feet. “What do you think you were doing, that’s his job, his purpose, you don’t want to take that away from him do you?”
“Um eh, I was just trying to help,” I stumbled.

“Well a lot of good you did, he’s a helot, don’t you know that spartiate’s shouldn’t mingle with helots, he’s not worthy of your pity, now get back to your lunch.” I quickly ran back to the line and reentered at the end. By the time I made it back up to the front of the line lunch was almost over. I picked up a tray and put a loaf of bread on it. A man behind the counter poured me a bowl of soup. The soup was scarlet in color, and had large pieces off beef floating in it. It smelled bad as well, as I went to go sit down at the table a boy run by and stole my bread. All I was left with was my undersized bowl of soup. Delicately I toke a sip of the soup, it tasted awful, like copper. Pushing the soup away, I search for some water to drown out the stagnate taste of copper in my mouth. There was none, but it was too late now, many of the kids were lining up with their teachers to leave. Searching around for a little bit I find the other first year students.
“Class, I am the first year teacher, and I will be leading you in your physical education course today, follow me outside and we will begin”.
We marched single file after the teacher out onto the paved courtyard. “Today we will be playing a game. You kids like games right? This game you could call grab the cheese, I guess,” the teacher smirked “I’ll break the class into two teams by counting you off, if you’re given a one go over to my right, if your given a two go over to my left by the box.”
The teacher walked around numbering us off, I was given a one. “Now, I’m going to place several blocks of cheese over hear on this pedestal. Everyone numbered as a one, your going to be the attackers, you’ll attempt to steal the blocks of cheese from the other team and get it back across your team line, which will be that soccer line over there. Whereas, team two your job will be to defend the blocks of cheese, armed with the leather whips in that box next you.” The kids who had been placed on team two scrambled over to the box exited by being given real whips. The teacher placed the cheese on the pedestal and blows his whistle signaling the beginning of the game. Tensing up I charged forth from my team’s starting line, adrenalin pulsing through my body. Smack! A kid strikes me on the shoulder, the pain was piercing, and clutching the wound in my hand I surge forth with greater speed towards the cheese. Smack! Another kid strikes me this time across the back. Stumbling I fall over onto the pavement below. My skin now tattered to ribbons, two other kids start whipping my back with unrelenting furry. A screech of pain pushes it’s self forth from within my lungs. The two kids then retreat in pursuit of another lowly attacker. Now in a catatonic like state on the ground, scraped and bruised, a familiar person emerges.
“Oh, Draco, good, can you help me up? they bruised me pretty good.”
Draco held his hands behind his back and leaned over towards me, giving me a cold smile, “Sure, Argos what are friends for?” He then lifted up into the air a whip that he had been concealing behind his back, now realizing his malaises intent, I quickly reacted by kicking Draco in the knee. Draco stumbled, I struck again this time tripping him, as he fell onto the asphalt scraping his face, and losing control of his whip. Over taken with a rage, no a blood furry I grab hold of the stray whip, and bring it down onto Draco with unscrupulous force. He screams in torment as his flesh tares from his bones. The crake of the whip falls and falls again. When my furry subsides and I stride back from Draco, he no longer cries, or even whimpers. A cold chill rides down my spine. A pool of blood begins to form and sprawl out from beneath his head. His eyes looked more sunken then ever.
“Draco, are you all right. Draco?” I cried. I shake him, but he does not stir. I shake him again, more vigorously, with no avail. what have I done?

Rei’s Unearthing

03.17.04 (10:31 am) [edit]

Many seasons ago, in a province far from our own, was born a child, to a father and mother, who named her Rei. Both of Rei’s parents lacked any nobility in their blood. Rei’s father was but a simple woods crafter, and as such, lived with his family deep in their nation’s mountainous forests. Rei’s father had built an adequately sized house for his wife in preparation for their expected child. Rei’s mother was a medicine woman and many came from afar to seek her help, however her foremost concern was to care for Rei’s health and spirit.
Rei lived a happy childhood, sheltered from the hardships of the spoiled world outside the restrictions of her home. By the time she had grown to the age of about sixty moon cycles, or five seasons she had grown accustomed to spending many hours of her day exploring the woods around her house. She looked forward each and every night to being told fantastic stories of beasts and noble heroes saving maidens in distress by her father. She greatly enjoyed hearing these stories, as most who heard them would. Rei’s father was an excellent storyteller, and much like Rei, had an over active imagination.
The night before the sixty-seventh moon cycle anniversary of Rei’s birth; her father told Rei an ancient story that had been passed down from generation to generation. He started this story as he starts all his stories…
“A long time ago, there lived in the land an order of lords. These lords were not born however of our people. They were decedents of the creators. They came with decree to our lands to better our people. And as such, these lords were good lords, and they were good to our people. Our people returned our love for them, by bestowing them with many gifts and Labors. Nevertheless many of their subjects feared them, not because they were cruel tempered, but rather because they looked so very different. The order ruled over us for many generations and all was fine, but then there came a plague upon the land. Most of the lords died in the first few hours of the horrific outbreak. What caused the plague and why it only affected the lords remains unknown to us. However one of the lords did not die in the plague. To protect himself he wore a mask upon his face at all times to ward away the evil demons of the plague. He became the first great king of our people. He led us from the metropolis of the old lords and helped us to learn how to build our own homes and costumes. However, the great king began to grow very lonesome in his solitude with none of his own kind left. He began spending many nights alone, atop his castle, watching the night sky, longing to return to his people. Every night as he watched the stars so distant in the night sky, he would wish for them to send him a friend, to console him in his isolation. As the king grew older he grew more tired and lonesome. He spent many years of his life watching the night sky, calling to it, but his wish was never answered. One night when the king had grown to be exceptionally old and sick, our people were preparing themselves for his passing. To our beloved king who taught us to be self sufficient, the stars of the night sent; a star creature. As it came closer and closer to the king’s castle, it lit up the sky with a golden glow. As it came even closer, the stars true form became much more visible. It was a serpent, aflame, with a golden hue, and a very long tail. Upon landing on the rooftop of the castle, the magnificent star creature opened his mouth and exited three men. They slowly approached the dying monarch. They told him that his people had been listening to his wishes every night and had been watching how well he had been treating our people. They were sorry that they had not answered his calls before, and did not want to take such a great king from our people, but now that the king was in his last days, they wanted to take him to their realm where he would live forever as their friend. So it was then that the star creator took the great king back with him to the night sky and the people rejoiced that the king who gave them so much would finally be at peace, with his own kin again. It is said that star creatures can be seen from time to time checking on the progression of the old king’s domain. Sometimes making new friends and bringing them back with them to live among the stars.”
This story captured little Rei’s imagination and she very much wanted to meet one of these star creatures. Rei went to sleep that night more peacefully than most. The following morning her father left shortly after the family had a healthy breakfast. Before he could leave, Rei and her mother caught him on the front steps of their home. He turned and did as he always did, he kissed Rei and her mother on the forehead while telling Rei, “Do what your mother tells you, and don’t cause her too much trouble.”
He then proceeded down the winding dirt path that exited their home and ventured deep into the dark woods. Rei watched her father walk away as long as she could still manage a glimpse of him through the bare patches in the forest.
Rei’s mother went back into the house to brew a medicine made from roots for a women dying of a rare ailment in the village. Rei now left to be by herself, wandered a short distance into the surrounding woods and approached the trunk of an extraordinarily large tree. The trunk was cracked and dry, as if it were a thousand cycles old.
“You’re looking sad today,” Rei told the old tree.
Rei’s father had built Rei a sturdy platform on the lower levels of the tree, after noticing what a good climber she was. It had become quickly one of Rei’s favorite places to play. He had also fashioned a very firm rope ladder, by precisely weaving together a very common, but strong red moss that grows on the roots of many of the trees in the woods around their house, for her to climb up in order to reach the platform. Rei took a hold of one of the rungs of this ladder and pulled her-self up onto it. It left a rusty colored residue on her hands as she made her way up to the platform with great concentration. After some effort she made her way to the peak of the ladder and heaved her-self onto the platform. This platform seemed extremely high to little Rei, but in fact Rei’s father had purposely built it lower then his eye level to help ensure Rei would not in the unlikely event she should fall injure herself too badly. Despite the low elevation of the platform, Rei still could get a good view of the valley beyond and the sky above her due to the positioning of the tree. The tree was chosen because it was located atop a bare hill which Rei’s father had cleared when building their house. This resulted in there being little to obstruct Rei’s view.
“Mr. Tree, will you help me look for a star creature to be our friend today? I would awfully much like to meet one,” Rei asked the old tree.
Of course the tree gave no verbal response to Rei, as trees seldom do. But Rei felt quite confident that day that the old tree had heard and understood her and would notify her if the tree did notice a star creature. She would probably dispute it too, if you told her otherwise.
Rei spent the first few hours of that day talking to her old friend the tree, watching the sky for the expected star creature, until shortly before midday. Rei was about to climb back down to the ground and go home for her lunch, when she first witnessed it.
“Look Mr. Tree, do you see it, too? We’re so lucky,” exclaimed Rei, pointing her finger in the direction of the light in the sky, while carelessly hanging from the side of the platform in an attempt to get closer to it. The scorching orb streaked across the sky, trailed by a long almost indigo tail.
“It’s a star creature,” Rei proclaimed.
The star creature continued to soar through the air quickly getting closer and closer to the forest below until it descended behind the trees into the valley below, gracefully with out a sound. It was shortly there after followed by a blast of wind that’s effect could be seen on the forest landscape below her.
“Rei, you better come in for lunch now” Rei’s mother called out.
Rei decided while climbing down the rope ladder, making her way toward her house, that after lunch she would walk down into the valley and try to find and befriend the star creature. For poor excited Rei, her lunch seemingly lasted forever. Her mother had made pea soup for lunch, which didn’t help her cause of getting lunch over quickly so she could return to the woods. She procrastinated instead, spooning around her food in an attempt to make it seem as though she had eaten a portion of it.
“Rei if you don’t finish your soup you’re going to have to stay indoors until your father gets home, and have a word with him”, warned Rei’s mother. The thought of upsetting her father motivated Rei to demolish the soup in several large gulps. The soup tasted like grass to young Rei and she did not understand her mother’s determination that she eat such a thing. Finally, after an agonizing hour of procrastination, Rei returned to the outdoors. She started walking down the winding dirt path that her father had previously walked down that morning. She took discretion to be quiet as she did this, knowing her mother would get very cross if she found out about her plans to go wandering deep into the woods alone. Rei knew from day walks into town with her mother and father in the past, that it took around an hour going down the hill before the first valley would be reached.
Once Rei had made her way into the valley where she observed the star creature touch the earth she daringly made her way off the path and ventured into the looming woods. Of course, it wasn’t long before Rei had become hopelessly lost. She began to grow very hungry after what seemed a very long time and presumed that she must be missing her supper. By this point both her parents would have notice her missing and would be frantically searching the woods, very cross with her indeed. Because she was lost anyway, Rei had little choice but to continue her search for the star creature.
As yet more time passed day began to pass into night and Rei became fearful that she would never find either the star creature or her way back home again. She fell onto the moist ground below her and began to cry. She cried for a very heartfelt duration of time, until she noticed a very faint and distant light shrouded in the trees. Rei held back her tears with delight as her hopes of finding the star creature were rekindled. Rei lifted herself back onto her feet and now eagerly made her way through the forest towards the adored light.
As she got closer to the light she began to have more difficulty making her way, as many broken trees littered the forest floor and created obstacles for her. The light was sawing back and forth through the woods, casting the most fascinating of shadows throughout the woods. As the light came even closer to her its brightness began to blind her. Rei stopped walking towards the light, her eyes now being rendered useless, yet radiance continued getting closer to her. This began to frighten her and she gave out a cry of fear. The light was lowered to the ground and two very large and equally strange creatures emerged.
“Hello there, little one, didn’t mean to give you a fright!” Spoke the first of the two creatures.
“What’s a little girl like you doing all the way out here, all by her self?” asked the other. The two creatures came closer to startled Rei. They did this with caution though, as not to make her anymore alarmed. Rei could now get a much closer look at the two figures. They appeared to have very smooth gray skin with white feet and finger tips. On closer inspection Rei noticed a window on their faces, reveling a strange pink face within and what looked like a very dirty mop atop it. It occurred to Rei that what she had previously perceived to be skin was a garment actually.
“My name is Joe, what’s yours?” asked the first creature. Rei said nothing, only giving the two creatures a blank stare.
“And I’m Tom”, uncomfortably chimed in the second one, after a long pause.
“I’m Rei” she so quietly answered that the two creatures had to ask her to repeat her self. “I’m Rei” Rei repeated a little bit louder and more confidently than before.
“Rei, where are your parents?” Joe asked.
“I was looking for the star creature that I think I saw, and err… um, I came here, and ah… are you star people?” Rei mumbled.
“Where are you’re parents?” Joe calmly interrupted.
“Oh, I don’t know, I think they’re at home, but they might be in the woods looking for me by now”, Rei said with tears now starting to form in her eyes.
“Don’t worry Rei, we’ll help you find your way home”, Tom insisted. Joe and Tom beckoned Rei to follow them through the woods with hand motions. Rei reluctantly began to follow them through the gloomy forest. After a short while of walking Tom and Joe lead Rei into a large clearing in the center of the forest. The clearing glowed and a magnificent amber shine resonated from the most elegant of beasts. Rei rubbed her large lustrous eyes with her coarse palms in disbelief. It could only be what she had been so passionate for since the telling of her father’s story, but the night before. It was a star creature. It had a long smooth body and an even longer blue tail. Its eyes loomed dark and black above its gaping mouth. A long tong protruded out of its mouth that reached the same cold soil that it’s four legs firmly stood upon.
“That’s our ship Rei, we can fly you home in it, you’ll have to wait here though, well we get you a suit, so you won’t contaminate the air. You’ll also have to go through the air lock alone, ” Tom informed Rei. Most of it fell on deaf ears though; Rei only understood that she would need to wait out side the creature for a while. Tom and Joe left, passing into the star creatures mouth. A sort while later, Joe reemerged from the belly of the creature carrying in hand a folded garment resembling the one that Joe was wearing.
“I’m sorry if this doesn’t fit too well, this suit is really designed for a human child, not a little laborite, like yourself, it was the smallest one we could find though”. Rei looked at it blankly.
“I’m afraid you will have to change into it before we can let you on our ship and take you home” Joe paused for a moment and then continued to hold out the garment waiting for Rei to take it and change. “What you waiting for? I assure you there’s no other way”. Rei, frustrated, stamped her foot and instructed Joe to leave momentarily so that she could change alone. Joe realizing his folly tossed the garment on the ground and hid himself from view. Rei changed into the grossly over sized outfight with difficultly, but eventually conquered it and called out to Joe to return.
Joe led an exasperated Rei to the mouth and up the tongue of the star creature. At the end of the tongue there was a door. Joe showed Rei in, the door closed behind her. Now Rei was all by herself, in a strange white room. A grinding and creaking noise vibrated in the walls of the room. Rei was having difficulty seeing what was going on around her due to the awkwardness of her hood that sagged over her head, with only a small window for her to peer out of. A thick white steam suddenly burst into the room with a piercing hissing noise, but it quickly subsided and Rei was comforted when she discovered the steam wasn’t searing, but luke warm. The second door opened and revealed Tom now with his face, arms, and hands exposed.
“Come with me, Rei to the observation deck and point out your home to me so we can drop you off”, Tom beaconed. Rei and Tom walked down many illuminated corridors until they finally came upon the observation deck. It had two large windows, several chairs and pictures all a round that glowed. Rei walked over to the window and peered out. She gazed as she saw the ground below her grow smaller, and then smaller.
“Tom, look over there, I can see my house from here”.
“That’s great”, Tom said, “I’ll place us right beside your house, over there”; Rei felt a shutter through out the ship as it began to accelerate and within moments they had tracked the distance it had taken Rei more then an hour to cover earlier.
“We’re landing now, go back to the air lock Rei, Joe will meet you down there?” Rei hurried back down the corridors, trying desperately to remember the way she had come previously. Before too long Rei found her way to the funny door that let her enter the star creature. As Tom had said, Joe was they’re waiting for little Rei. Joe motioned for Rei to go first and she passed once more through the unpleasant mouth of the star creature.
As Rei walked down the tongue of the star creature, she distinguished first her mother, then her father emerging from the woods ecstatic at the site of their previously missing one. Rei met them at the bottom of the tongue, and embraced her father and mother.
“Rei we saw the star creature in the sky heading towards our home, and we came running as fast as we could. I was so worried, but everything’s all right now.” Rei’s frantic father sobbed. Joe stepped forward from behind the reunited family.
“Oh, mother, father this is the star man, who saved me”, announced Rei.
Joe cheerfully introduced himself “my name is Joe”.
“We are forever grateful to you, Joe.” Rei’s father replied to Joe “So the story really is true, are your people the same as those who saved our first great king” Rei’s father asked.
Joe tried to explain his connection to the ancient story, but it was unfortunately beyond the comprehension of the small laborite family. He tried to explain that the virus had only affected those living on earth, and the planet had been placed on quarantine to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. This was all in vain though, as Rei’s family had no place of reference to understand what had really happened so long ago.
“Hm... well err... once again I must thank you for the return of our only child, it is a blessing.” Rei’s confused father responded. Rei’s father bowed, and began to lead his family towards their home.
Joe hesitated, and then said “you shouldn’t thank me for that, we just needed her to guide us to her parents so we could capture them and study their physiology to find out why the virus doesn’t affect laborite’s”. Now paralyzed with terror Rei and her family froze as they in unison noticed Tom crouching behind a tree aiming a weapon at them. Tom pulled a triggering device on the weapon and a streak of blue light bolted forth and struck Rei and her family. They fell with out effort to the ground from the blast of the stun ray; and in her final moments Rei looked up at the ominous craft above her, and thought quietly to her self that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.