‘We come to the question I asked your friend, the one who was adamant in her claim that she was no angel,’ said Adialon. ‘Why do you tether yourself here on earth, when you so readily could depart for heaven? What holds you back?’
‘The same thing that holds you back- the fact that people need me here, and need us here,’ said the Boy.
‘But why? Is not God watching over all of us? Can He not watch over those we leave behind?’
‘Yes. But that’s not the only thing to think about. There are things that we might need to do still, part of our reason for coming here in the first place. Things that only we can do.’
‘And if we have done what we were sent here to do? What then?’
‘Then we just have to wait.’
Adialon shook his head. ‘I cannot wait, Boy. Every moment I stay longer makes me lose my mind all the more. I do not belong here.’
‘It’s true, Adialon. You don’t belong on planet earth. Neither do I. No one belongs here, because we were all sent here from somewhere else.’
‘From the heavens. From the dwelling place of God, yes.’
The Boy nodded pensively. ‘Is there no reason you can find to stay? No cause you would fight for, no lives you would save?’
Adialon shrugged. ‘I am more tired than I ever thought possible. The fight has nearly left me. I do not feel as though I have the strength to save more lives. And as for a cause, you have the gift of understanding and more besides. I would that you tell me true, have I not given my all to my cause?’
The Boy looked at him intently. ‘Yes, I think you have.’
‘Why, then, does God will me to stay here? What is my purpose now?’
‘You’re ready to go home, but maybe others aren’t ready for that yet.’
Adialon tensed. ‘Tell me that such is not true.’
‘But I am sure that your time is soon. I am almost willing to promise that it is.’
‘How can you be so certain? What knowledge has been imparted to you to tell you such as that?’
‘You’ve given him your heart, haven’t you? What else could that mean?’
‘Do you know all my secrets, Boy? How do you know all these things without seeming effort?’
‘That’s part of my ability. Part of my friends’ ability too.’
‘How did you come by this ability?’
‘I was born with the ability. My friends were given the ability later, after I had saved their lives.’
‘Was it in like manner as you saved mine, in the darkness?’
‘No. I saved their lives in our world and time, where the darkness is invisible.’
‘Will you tell me your tale? I am eager to hear it, for it seems that I must yet live for a time and I would sooner listen to an engaging story than sit alone to while away the time.’
The Boy looked at him for a few moments, lost in thought. Adialon waited patiently, for there was little else he could do. Perhaps the Boy would say no, for it could not be doubted that with abilities such as theirs, the Boy and his friends would have suffered greatly. A great mind and heart went together with great suffering. Unless the Boy had told his tale before, many times over, he doubted if doing so now would or could be done with ease.
‘Yes, I will tell you,’ the Boy said. ‘But my story, our story, can’t be told all at once. It will take a long time, so long that we will have to share it a piece at a time.’
‘We meaning you and your friends of light?’
‘Yes. Me and my friends of light.’
‘That would be well. Where are your friends? Can they be summoned quickly?’
‘They will come when it’s time to share their part in this story. Until then they’ll be doing other things.’
Adialon nodded. He had hoped that he would see the Boy’s companions sooner, but if such was not to be, he would wait patiently.
‘Where does this tale begin, then?’
‘It begins with the birth of a child with a special ability. The baby boy can sense the thoughts and emotions of others, even when very, very young. This is good to a point, because the baby can learn much more rapidly about the world around him. His parents are thrilled to have been given such a child for their own, and use everything they have to teach him all he can learn. But soon they find out there’s a problem with the young boy’s ability. He begins to soak up all the emotions and thoughts of everyone around him- both good and bad. It gets so bad that the boy slowly loses his ability to function normally. Everything he is feeling becomes too much for him to deal with. He slowly begins to progress toward a breakdown. His parents are very concerned, and know that they have to do something to save their very young son. They take him and many supplies and leave the city’-
‘What does this mean, city?’ asked Adialon.
‘It’s like a bunch of large villages put together,’ explained the Boy.
‘Ah. Please continue.’
‘They leave the city for the forest, where they live from now on. They spend the next few years there, where they learn to grow their own food and live in a shelter they make with their own hands, much like the people in your village do.’
‘Then, after a few more years of living in peace, the boy’s parents become sickened?’
‘Yes,’ the Boy said sadly. ‘Some unknown sickness or disease takes hold of them. They know, they can feel that they don’t have much time left, and they know the boy must stay in the forest, so they teach him all they can, and give him a special tool to defend himself against the darkness.’
‘What is this tool?’
‘It’s called the Ocular. With it the boy’s abilities are magnified. With it the boy can learn all he desires to learn- about the world around him, about other people, about himself.’
‘A powerful tool,’ observed Adialon.
‘Yes, it is. But since it’s so powerful, his parents make sure that it’s hidden. He can still use it; because of his abilities he’s always using it.’
‘But it is made secure against the event of its being discovered by those who would use it for ill purposes.’
‘Yes,’ the Boy said, nodding. ‘I know you can understand that very well.’
‘Indeed. But please continue.’
© 2010 by Adam Scott Campbell. All rights reserved.
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