(GE Copy)

Chapter 21: Intuitions Comes Slowly (Part 1)

“People often seem to mistake intelligence with being able to follow a cookbook...”

The sun poured down off the trees in a pale vibrancy of deep colours. The tender leaf had turned a forest green, and spring was leaving for the full swelter of an Okanagan summer. Aaron however, had other plans; plans to spend this heatwave somewhere elsewhere. All he could imagine, was the chiller, moist mountain air and canopy of leaves. In the forest, there would be peace away from home, and safety in his company. Aaron felt inadequate for a while, always calling upon his friend to keep his hind quarters protected, but Aaron shook the bashfulness from his mind; Felicity had assured him, many times, and it was time to call upon that loyal friend.

Aaron came out to the living room balcony, seeing the two men glued to the screen, and called. “Felicity...” But not much response. “Yo...” Walking down the stairs into the space. “I’m packed, you ready?”

“I’ll be there soon...” Felicity replied, fixed to the screen with Old Paul, seeing the colours flash by of a dark scene. Only a few lights in a dim ally street, and the red and blue flashing in the distance. A lone detective, out on a hunch, following the clue that no one noticed. The debris of flowing papers plastered the wet wall, sticking, and his gun fell into his hand. An empty corner, void of all but a few sewer rats that came to the surface to praise the midnight moon, and a man pointing his six shooter towards them. The detective holstered his side iron, turning to leave but caught a gaze at the tatter in the breeze. His head turned to a tuft of hair, caught on the wire fence surrounding a barbed power box. ‘It was Sonia’s’, the detective muttered under his breath.

“Alright, enough TV, we got adventure, remember?”

“Yeah...” Felicity removed reluctantly from the couch, up and followed, waving off Aaron’s Father. Paul seemed disheartened, but let the two carry about with their freedom out the back door.

“You seem to be taking well with him.” Aaron opened outside the earshot of his family, “Was worried he’d think you were too modern, and write you off as some kind of delinquency.”

“And I’m not?” Felicity teased, climbing the hill in the back yard, “I still can’t get over the things you have. For a hundred years I could have gladly watched re-runs or whatever that is. The commercials, the movie teasers, and the other stuff your dad calls them. For whatever reason, when the show disappears the sound goes mysteriously quiet, but at different times, some times not at all and then it returns again when the show comes back on. I swear I’m the only one who’s actually caught onto this. It’s like this anomaly is just normal for your dad or something, but I say it’s deliberate. I think it has to do with the little green bar that shows up on the bottom of the window. It also switches between sports, and movies and weird drawings that sing children songs...” Wiping a mystified tear from their cheek, “Then magically, wham! Back right where the show stopped. They even have people with imaginary toys that go ‘BOOM!’ and make people keel over and die from a distance! You’re society has a real issue with killing people; like, who’d give their life to make a show? I would have swore it the was same guy too, getting blown away from the same trap, every half hour...”

“People don’t actually die, unless it’s Macbeth, of course... They just pretend to die, and walk off when the camera stops rolling.”

“Dude! The guy’s head exploded!”

“Props and computer graphics.”

“His head... Exploded...”

“In a couple years, you really won’t be able to tell the difference. Might even get movies made one hundred percent in a green screen. You see cartoons yet? You thought you lost your mind with the guns and killing, wait until you see some of the late night animes. First time Zack told me what he saw, I thought he witnessed a murder.”

Behind the old cliff face above the KVR, their deer trail seemed to be closing up, and growing over. The moist patches of verdant seclusion became as darkened and as tindered as their surroundings. They came to the clearing, mid point; dry needles littered the forest floor of every tree’s skirt like a Detroit metro station. Even the dusty sandbank footholds gave out, barley holding the clumps of dirt and grass to the embankment by their thin network of roots. As forecasted, an insatiable heat beat down between the shady cover.

It was quiet, save the bugs who’s concept of heat wasn’t restricted to a ninety eight point six degree soft-cap. Nothing with any sense to it would be out in this heat... Except Aaron and Felicity. Aaron wiped the sweat from his back, airing it out from his pack but it would only return grossly humid when he put the sack back where it belonged.

Coming over the incline, he could see the boarder. Treetop battlements put on holiday, with not even a lazy watchmen to pass out drunk by the gatehouse. They probably all went stark mad for the first week after setting it up, and just got too distracted to show up to the party afterwords. Aaron stepped carefully by, trying to motion to Felicity but he just wasn’t picking it up. Along one tree branch corner came a poor sweltering squirrel with a five o-clock shadow, wandered home in the heat with his groceries. He looked down at the world, wiping the grit from his neck and his panting came to a still when his eyes caught sight of Felicity, and Felicity’s friend; their worst enemy. The bags dropped from it’s paws, spilling out onto the forest floor. It turned to face them, revving the internal rage engine within to act with focus in this encumbering heatwave. With a wild roar, it cried it’s high pitch declaration and pounded it’s furry chest.

“What?” Felicity scowled, as a fur brained soldier flew in Brazilian jiu-jitsu style, clinging to his face, rattling Felicity’s eyelids in a furious rodent rampage. Now, I see that some of you are getting rather tired of this quirky slapstick trope, I know; but... Just imagine, somewhere, somehow in the endless void of space that there are groups of people who aren’t yet exhausted from hearing the same old spiel... Let’s not lead on those people into the real joke here quite yet (winky face)

Flinging the squirrel from his face. It laid there, panting, taking the cap off his tiny acorn canteen and pounding the last couple swigs before falling down the dale into the shade. They stood above, spawned from the fervent squawking of their comrade; encircling, chattering their incessant proceedings in squirrely union, until a purging call. Felicity stood, pulling his sword out from the ether, and harnessed a secreting energy, latent within him. It excreted through the air like an aura of death; a dark force and energy which subjugated the legions, and frightened the masses. Their greatest enemy yet, the snake, taken human skin. They must have been right about Aaron, and his choice of friends.

They flinched however, itching themselves back from the terror, but could not seem to reach out to command their own trembling feet. Felicity danced slowly, slowly licking his lips at the nutty flavoured rodents, slowly overwhelming their senses with the choking miasma of his predatorial pheromones.

Sweating his acorns off, one large, buffed out, wife stealing biker of a squirrel stood panting past the terrifying threshold of his instinctual barrier. The fear nearly took him, but he shot out a war cry and leapt from the top rope, elbows locked, determined, like a badass, setting the stage for the mob. He fell on Felicity, and Felicity’s hilt, winding the sucker as he plummeted to the ground. As the herd hurdled themselves as one to avenge their idol, Felicity called out a threatening hiss, and they fell off of him like rainwater. They bounced off the ground with a rubber rebound and scampered away from the assured death and utter overthrow that once was their squirrely hierarchy.

Returning his blade; their ass was grass, and Felicity had done well smoked it.

Beyond the creek and into Tapia, they finally determined that despite having the great idea to come out here, Aaron really wasn’t certain where he was going to go. He looked by the road, and the creek, even towards mount schetzschmere. His water was no issue, one portal down was an infinite supply, given a fresh bath to get it; but he only had a few fragile plastic tubs. Would it be disturbed by the animals? Would it get washed away along the river bank? Aaron walked down where he had seen a forest floor of fallen trees and perched his tub in a nestled retreat. He could even reach up for a handhold to fight gravity when he passed by here. Still, Aaron could always repurposed the container later if he wanted to... Assuming a deer didn’t walk over it and crack the casing.

It was hard decided, but Aaron strolled past the old crones shack unseen, and through the fields by the sassy castle guards to somewhere new. They saw the nautical commerce vessel come into port, and Aaron wondered what fantastical kingdoms existed down the winding lake. Along the road their path dipped along the bottom of a shallow valley. It’s twisting grassland slopes perked with tanned crests and bluffs; peeking solid rock out from the hilltops, sixty feet from them and twenty feet above, it lined the forest’s edge. Small patches of bush swayed in the breeze always appearing to be rustled but nothing came.

Aaron peeked his head to seek out the towering monument he saw earlier, but the mountain seemed absent from here and he shrugged it off. He still had no clue how anyone navigated such a disjointed fourth dimensional realm. Muscle memory, probably. It seemed so foreign to leave the conventions of home like landmarks and compass magnetism behind him, but at least this side of the universe held together a lot stronger than the haptic labyrinth outside Kaylemen’s abode. It really was the edge of reality out there.

They came to a bridge, short, built sturdily. It’s wooden beams were manufactured by hand, with excellent care but the chips and bevels of their scraping tools were a reminder of it’s hard work. Aaron could see many holes and knots that were fallen out from the footing. The slow moving waters below him seemed almost still, while he remembered he could hear the water only a moment ago. He set his eyes out to gauge the flowing stream that rippling tides seemed even more vicious than when he arrive. He looked down again to the knotted hole to find what appeared to be an eye staring back at him through the gap, hushing him, but it blinked and nothing was there but a slowly moving stream. Aaron stepped closer to Felicity, and continued, as the water on his side still roared wildly.

Their path opened to a wide hilltop on one side of the road, and to their left was a mountainous highland region that was barren of trees and separated by a running valley. It’s tall grassy sides were held up by what seemed to be the ancient remains of a massive creature. Even the hillside that overtook it had swallowed the skeleton over time, leaving only a few rib scafoldings left to jut out from the primal stone. It glistened somehow with a purple sparkle that would take hours to reach safely. In it’s wake, a sheer rocky gorge was left that rivers now flowed through the flats of the valley floor. With no way down, they marked it for later, perhaps to find and extract it’s mysterious glimmers.

The gorge’s edge fallowed along to the pass’s basin, and at it’s connector, branched out for a city that they could barely see from the path down. Taking a deep breath in, Aaron convinced himself to see what the other cities in this realm wanted to mark violently against him.

Greeting with the west guards, they were met graciously, and welcomed after a quick weapons check. It seemed a nice change of pace. Having never seen a plastic tub before, they were figured to be merchants, and were treated kindly to the kingdom. Though, to call this a city now, would be an egregious speculation. This small ‘town’ if anything bustled behind it’s wooden walls and stone houses as though it were supporting a much larger population than it was. Everyone seemed preoccupied, and intent on moving whatever product to it’s proper place. Aaron wasn’t really looking for answers today, and left them to their business. Waddling by Aaron, Felicity excused himself, looking for a quiet place to squat one out. “What are you doing?” Aaron inquired, mortified about Felicity’s choice in outhouse along the ally wall. “Maybe at least do it out of the town?”

“Come on!” Felicity lamented, “You drop log in a bowl that’s underneath your bedroom, right next to where you clean your teeth! Why can’t I crap in an ally?”

Aaron looked about, without much success from where he was and jogged out from the narrow path, begging his friend “Just hold it for a second...” Felicity was just about decided when Aaron returned. “I found one!”, dragging Felicity along as the encumbered partner tried to yank his pleats back up under his skirt.

Leaving him alone, Aaron stood guard in front of the duke-hut. His eyes veered from thatched roof to billowing smokestack and wondered whenever it was that he’d get to see a futuristic city, or the crystal kingdoms; maybe it was plural, could he be so lucky? So far, it was always lame fantasy stuff, which is great for a weekend fare, or if you like board games; but with an infinite possibility of worlds out there, he was tired of visiting all the boring viking inspired ones. Where was the cities made of dark neon dreams? Plated in gold? Nestled in the clouds? With each glorified village was just another place, with another town square hosting a bumkin in the village square, and another man clothed in cheap dyed linen on the side. No towers of ivory, and streets of ebony, just hut after hut of gritty medieval fashion, with the village heckler sitting on the corner, alluding poorly constructed jokes.

Aaron let out a sigh, it would probably all be like this. After all, who in this realm or his own was smart enough to make a toaster, let alone a whole city made out of them. In the side of his vision, there walked a man with a dark hood and a kick in his step. It seemed familiar, and time stuttered a fragment as Aaron realized that he had seen the man before. He walked by the main stretch, down the hill from Aaron, weaving past the crowds. First, Aaron was shocked in fear that the man must have come for him, but Simon seemed preoccupied with something else. Something overcame Aaron, curious to what was taking place and Aaron was transfixed to the sight; if he wasn’t here for Aaron, what was he here for? Felicity was almost done anyway, as Aaron left his post to investigate why such a figure could be found so far into the realms.

Aaron stood by the wall, witnessing his target chum with a local. Their conversations were like two friends but he left just as quick as a stranger. As Aaron slipped past the empty backside stables, he could see the man emerge along the other side of the building much faster than anticipated and the boy picked up his pace. Simon stood in the street, and the distinguished man of the Seven stood still, listening to the breeze as though captivated by the icy peaks before continuing. He stopped in a store, and took a while.

Aaron stood to consider his suspicious actions, and if he were overreaching his luck. Aaron wasn’t even entirely fixed on why he was so intent to discover what he could. Was it to gauge who heard of Aaron’s bounty? Perhaps to see if it were safe to make word with the strange enigma. All alone, Felicity was likely still preoccupied, and Aaron wasn’t really sure what to make of the guy from the last time he saw him. Should Aaron engage, or could the man be trusted? Something about him always seemed extra friendly. Before Aaron could devise a plan to enter the inside unseen, the man dressed in black returned and head down the street with a mouth full of jerky. He also carried a satchel of assorted shapes that bulged out of the tight wrap around them. He headed for the east gate, towards the new land, and Aaron wandered out towards it’s edge. Aaron’s mind rambled to find an opening word for the man but couldn’t seem the justify his curiousity.

Two men guarded the door, and withheld Aaron from it’s threshold. “Ay Aight, what you do’in ‘round here? Walk’in an awful lot close to the man just leaving ain’t yas? You wouldn’t be looking fer a quick Jimny, was ya? Light toed, pilfering fingers and what for? Gotta keep the peace you know. Can’t be letting our guests get a wrong rubb’in as they leave. It’s bad for tourism, and that’s bad for business.”

“Say,” The other guard approached, inquiring “Don’t much look like I’ve seen ya before. You don’t pay yer taxes ‘ear do ya?” Aaron shook his head, “Oh. Took you for a... Well, never mind then.”

“Nah?,” The first returned, “Then fancy you be skulking about then. Real suspicious, real suspicious it is.”

“Well...” Aaron sputtered, knowing if he turned back would only make the armed men more suspicious “Seeing as I don’t pay you taxes, and probably Simon, my friend over there doesn’t either, I don’t see why you should be wasting your time with me... I’m not really paying you anything to hold me up or anything”

“Oi...” The first guard turned, “This allick is a wisen bloke, I give’em that... I’d even reckon he has a point, don’t he?”

“Well smite me aunty,” The second replied, letting up his hold for his post “Guess we work’en past our pay grade, ain’t we’s? Right then, bugger along. Don’t be causing too much trouble, especially when yer inside the gates, else we gonna have a real Barney with ya. I said carry along, I ain’t being paid to keep ya company.” And with that, Aaron took the man’s heed, and left town.

Aaron followed in behind, having very little to hide him but a loud and prickly bush twenty feet down, and the exposed pathway. The rest was open field, and a row of trees to decorate the entrance. Remembering the alleged price tag on his head, Aaron quickly questioned how much of a threat it was to see such a man of distinct stature roaming even a nowhere like this. Aaron seemed to be greatly behind him, pacing slowly behind earshot, watching him leave down the road. Aaron wondered how he’d catch up, and if it was even worth it. Aaron straightened his head, turning his feet to leave, and sighed. He didn’t even know what he wanted from the whole thing anyway, just a strange allure that called him in. Silently the man turned around to Face Aaron, and somehow the distance between them seemed more like only a couple of meters. Then, Simon spoke “Ya know, sneaking yo ass up sounds a lot more suspicious than if you just ran up like you was try’na... Oh...” Taking his ear buds out. “Well that’s a mighty find right there. Look at’chu, growing and shit. Little chip on the shoulder but it happens around this line of work. What brings you out these ways?”

Pouring cold sweat from his back, Aaron returned “You know, just out... Avoiding the parentals and all that.” Trying to uphold a casual return to pacify the powerful man.

“Best love’em while ya still gotten. We ain’t all lucky like that.” Slipping his hands into his pockets, “So, what stops you from walking up like a normal person anyway? Got worry written all over your face. You weren’t looking for a quick Jimmy, were you? Light toed, pilfering fingers and what for?”

Shocked at the man’s impeccable hearing, Aaron replied, “You’re kind of a celebrity and all, don’t feel right walking up to, um... Someone of your calibre, i-in case I offend you. H-How’s, uh... Life?”

“You know I’m a celebrity because I kick asses at two hundred yards, right?” Sliding his foot into a battle stance, Simon left his upper half lazily unguarded. A long silence played to the smug smirk that man wore, as Simon broke up laughing “I’m just playing with you, you’re alright... Though you might want to consider who you’re sneaking up on before making some of these other cat’s nervous. Their trigger’s a little less friendly than mine –And don’t pay no mind to that hipster shit, everyone’s always offended these days, really kills a good conversation having one sucka who’s tongue tied over nothing, usually someone white, barking shit about social privledge. I’m supposed to be a person like the rest of yous, ain’t I? Once the oppressed, back of the bus, now he’s either the boogieman, or the white man’s social acceptance ticket; See how racist all that justice shit is? Ah, got me on a rant again. Anyway,” Dropping his guard, “Life, you know, business as always, climbing mountains, shaking a couple puppets along the way. You doing alright? You look a little troubled since last, and that’s saying something.”

“I meant because you’re powerful, not coz you... Um... Well, I guess I’m not in all that much trouble then...” Taking a weight off, Aaron sighed “Last I heard, you were gathering some kind of army. I’m sorry, I didn’t really want to be there that day, but I was kinda forced to...”

“Hey man, ain’t need none of that, ya’cool. Shorty’s on my short-list anyway, just a donor of the underworld. Still didn’t say what’s troubling you but it’s fine if you wanna leave that one out. Yeah they coming along. She-eeat,” Massaging the tendon on his neck. “Santa Clauds is getting his jimmies in all kinds of twist before the big brawl, seeing as his favourite parrot, Dalmayo, got himself a silent sendoff in space, viking style, and we down three to four. Hats off to whoever cleaned the streets of that caustic smear though. I’d like to take credit, which I can’t, but we all someone else’s puppet’s anyway: Not like it matters, they’ll just find another one. They have, and someone up top ain’t too keen of being three seats short. Oh well, figure it opens a few slots for me to fill too, and spray a little Le’breeze in the room till it smells nice again... Plus it gives me an opportunity to salute him with a couple sly words, the damn flagrant mandrill... Either of them, really. I should start writing these ones down...”

“That so? How’s the hunt then?” Aaron inquired, more at ease.

“Not one for a lot of words, are you? Kinda look the part, too, hair blowing in the eyes... Hunt? Yeah, it’s been blessed more than a couple of times just today; see, most people when they given a responsibility are gonna be like ‘aight, nah, and I’ma bounce’ and leave ya hanging but it’s been real good so far... Three candidates, all hearts like a shining apple and a lot less peach fuzz than I figured there’d be over the whole thing. Man, do I know how to pick’em. Only string is that one...” Pointing up at the tallest snowy peek, laying behind the fortified pass of a mountainous palisade. “That one up there... But, I’ll tell you how that one goes next time around.”

“They really high up there, huh?”

“High as they come...”

“So, what’s it with you? If you don’t mind...” Taking his pass to express his idea. “You’re one of the Seven, bunch of guys who are supposedly misguided, er... Anyway, whatever it is, you’re like the complete opposite. Like you’re actually doing something... Like...” Muttering the last bit. “...A certain someone else used to be.”

“See how it is when people can speak freely? Ain’t no issue for me opening up that can of rat shit. I respect you for it, even if you is mumbling a little. The thing with rebellion is, the further you sink into yourself, the more you start hearing a voice that calls you out from’er. You want to make a better change? You better be the change that leads the way by example, else you just one of them with a different coat on yer shoulders, bust’in heads till you’re king, all while screaming out ‘utopia’. I really looked up to Belship back in the day; he stood up for something, even if they took everything from him for trying, so... I learned that if you gonna make a mark, it don’t do nothing if you ain’t there anymore to defend yourself; they’ll just laugh and paint right over you like you actually said the shit they lie about you saying. Can’t stand the shit they say about him, coz I was there when he said it. If they can vilify you, no one will remember the good you did, as they circle jerk the ring leader. Maybe I don’t really change anything by being there, maybe it just takes a seat away from someone else to keep them safe from the psychopathy of the self righteous; maybe it’s just being the voice of reason for the people listening, even if the people you saying it to never change their heart. We all gotta take care of our brothers after all.”

Aaron snickered, “And just who is our brothers?” Rubbing the chip on his shoulder, “Seems everyone just wants to call you that, and shiv you later... Or stalk you for eight years.”

“You’ll know them.” Leaning himself against the nearest tree, “A lot of people like to call you that and most of them sure ain’t, but the real ones, those are the ones that show it, and not just tell it. See, when you speak, you share a piece of your soul regardless of how you throw it around, and that’s beautiful; You know their colours and their kin by the words they like to spin, and ain’t no hiding filth no matter how nicely you say it. People share a lot of beautiful things with a lot of poorly picked words, they got the heart just not the education... and yet a lot of hatred comes laced with some pretty empty compliments and a load of shiny ideals... But some people hiss at thinking like that coz it shows who they are; and they ain’t so brotherly. They’ll gut you for an honour they can’t uphold, and they’re the only ones that get to decide how others view them... That’s the Seven. Brothers by name alone... And that’s why it’s so important I clear up the air in there, before it gets the rest of us killed over a bag of chips.” Aaron stood slack jawed as he marvelled at the virtue of the man, “How about you? You heard my spiel, any plans for you little man? Got a whole lot going on in the world right now.”

“Little man, eh?... Honestly sounds pretty welcoming.” Aaron perked up, “Probably keep moving; find something that keeps me busy, maybe even see a couple of sights. Castles made of clouds, villages built into trees, underwater utopias, whatever’s actually out there, really... There’s even supposed to be some kind of crystal city that’s made of the stuff, kinda curious what that’s all about...”

“Crystal city? Made out of the stuff you say?” Simon smiled, questionably.

“Y-yeah, so legend goes... I guess I’m kind of obsessed with these things, and it’s cluttered my mind...” Fighting over the laughter of Simon to finish his sentence. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Shit, legend?” Simon chuckled, “Ain’t no damn legend about it... Sapphire blue sky, clouds of rolling energies, light so pure it’ll toast your bread on both sides...”

“Really?” Aaron cut off.

“Ahklama, yes sir, I grew up there.”

“So, how do I find it?”

“You that keen on it? Alright, I won’t spoil it then, you should experience it’s beauty for yourself. I ain’t got the time to walk you there right now, but just keep looking. If you look hard enough, you’ll find it.” Simon assured, “You Stagnant, yea? Stagalnian? Yeah, not sure you’d put any of my escort or directions to good use if I did; heck, not even most Tapians know how to get there anymore... But if you want to find it, then with a guy like you, it’s only a matter of time. You’ll know it when you see it. Given you’re eyes ain’t closed when you walk past.”

“Well... Why not try? How’d you explain how to get there?”

Simon looked back with a sad confession, and pointed down then shrugged. “It don’t exactly work like that, but yeah, roughly speaking. Past the Albumen... It’s somewhere, but if you want it enough, you’ll stumble on the road that leads there. It’s inevitable. Ahklama isn’t exactly too well known for being pointed out on a map to begin with, and the paths this way don’t exactly connect at the station like the city A-tram does.”

“That’s the thing. Everyone seems to understand how this world works, and I’m just thrown into it, like I’m expected to just figure it out.”

“All in time...” Taking a seat in the grass beside his tree, “It always takes time, because there ain’t no teacher like experience. We can give you every answer there is, spell it out, equate it to shit... At the end, it don’t mean nothing until you’re actually there to put the pieces together. Sometimes words complicate what is simple.” Stuffing his mouth with another strip of cured meat. “Can you explain the Mona Lisa to a child? What about Mozart? Couple people painted on a canvas, yeah I see that too, but what’s the real meat of that artwork? The bit that takes more than a glancing judgment. Someone had a reason to make it, didn’t they? Takes a lot of stumbles in the dark until you understand the expression of a single idea, what it means, why it’s important, the stuff you don’t get beforehand; that’s experience. This world makes sense to those who have lived it their entire lives, but your world has learned with their eyes and their eyes alone, and still they end up blind. How is that? If I said going right turns you left, you’d think you needed to do the opposite to go the other way.”

“Does everyone use that bullshit expression?” Aaron lamented, clenching his stationed hands. “I swear the first time I heard that it sounded really cool, but I’ve been all over and I’ve never seen it.”

“You’ll see it.” Simon assured solemnly, “Some times the split in the road is a little further on ahead of where you’re looking. Are you gonna turn around and go back just coz you haven’t seen it yet? Foot half in, don’t even know if it’s warm or cold yet, but you don’t want to take the chance of it freezing? I know it sounds so back words until you’re there. As I said, experience, it defines logic and principal; not for what it appears to be, but the integrity of what those realities stand for. When you find the road that leads to hell, that experience gonna tell you to turn tail. Otherwise without it, you probably gonna keep walking blind til your feet start getting mighty toasty and you begin wondering what just happened. Same with the rest of the world, million roads, and the only definition is the signs you pick up on along the way. Experience is knowing how to read the world and when take a warning, knowing when you’ve missed the stop, when there is a split for somewhere better, when to keep your ears open, and when to run... That’s the foundation of travelling the infinates, not by the paths we can see but noticing the one’s we can’t, and how to divine where that path is gonna lead you. Can you tell me how to walk on a road that you can’t see? I’ll give you a hint, it’s half the battle...”

“I guess I just don’t have any experience.” Taking a reluctant seat to rest his weary legs. Aaron frowned, knowing the long road ahead would probably take his entire lifetime. “It’s just so frightening to come by. It’s like I’m forced to learn the hard way, because no one else can tell you what’s up ahead.” Slowly tugging the grass from it’s holdings. “It’s all cryptic, and unclear. Everything within me compels me to discovering this world, what’s always made some kind of sense that I never understood, while everything within me wants to hide back where things are safer. I get a couple steps forward, and something comes out to stop me. It’s always been this struggle since the start, and every turn tries to kill me, five times a week... So why not stay home? Miracle I’m even standing.” Retracting the soft white grass marrow from the fibrous stem.

“Maybe our fear picks the hard road purposely, making stumbling blocks as proof for our own comforts to abide by until the luxury that we one day forget who chose that pathway. After you forget, who says what caused it? No one else can. So you get scared before the good part of the lecture, what stops you from defining the moral of the story the way you want it to go if you ain’t been taught how it’s supposed to end?” Signing, with the sight of silence towards Aaron, “The best lesson I can give to someone who’s grown amidst goats, is to fuck what you know about the world, and everything you’ve ever thought about yourself. It’s all hearsay until you find yourself living in someone else’s shoes and calling it your own, just to wonder how long you’ve actually been standing there for; the folly of following man, that’s what that is. To go somewhere you’ve never been, is the want to go there after all, not just say it in your head with a fake smile else you just stay home: ‘Oh yes, I’ma fix that carburettor one day’ and having to sell it to the scrapyard for a can of beer twenty years later coz that’s what our word was worth; very little. If you can’t get there in the end, then I guess you didn’t really want to keep trying enough to finally find it, because you will fail your first baby steps, even the next steps too until you’re actually walking. This ain’t quantum science, not this shit anyway. Experience, is knowing not to give up, coz just admiring what other’s can do won’t give you wings, neither will cursing them for having it. Faith is so hard to find without the will to water the seed you’ve planted. Like Stagalnia, it will whither, and it will have no one to blame. Anyway, caught me preaching too...” Simon finished, standing up, and brushing the leaves from his cloak. “Rik don’t like sitting in one place for too long, so I gotta kick up my heels.”

Aaron’s mind sat captivated, trying to parse out the wisdom. In his splendour and his awe, a spark reignited in his heart. Beyond the wall of his own anger, and rejection for the cold unforgiving world, Aaron’s eyes fell to his knees, feeling inspired to look once again and find the magic Simon spoke of. It was out there, readily available for the rest of the world to take it. He shook himself back to his senses, and called out. “Before you go, please...” Aaron begged, “I have something for you. I have no idea if you can use it, but it’s special water.”

“It don’t come out of no girl’s bathtub, did it?” Simon questioned, “If they tell you it gonna cure some illness, you might wanna be looking for a refund.”

“No, it works, it does.” Pulling it out from his pack, “I’m actually out here making teleporter locations. See if you put it down somewhere, and concentrate on the place you want it to take you, it’ll open a portal. Please, actually, you might need two of them.” Reaching for his second, “Here... I’ll show you.”

Picking up the jar, Simon smiled, and snickerd “Heh, shit man,” Giving the water a swirl, “I’d say you’re about half way there already...” Before passing it back. “Nah. You keep it. Better in your hands anyway, at least until you figure the other half of this shit out. I got a good grip on that already, so I don’t need it to travel. After all, it’s not the water that’s special: It’s the faith that you’ll reach the other side...” Pulling the ear buds from his pocket. “Here tho. Seeing you all hype for that gem city, little study project, something to inspire you. Pardon the little ear gremlins still on them...” Wiping them clean. “Wire done broke on me this morning, one of them anyway, call it fate I guess. Still, irritates me to the point of wanting to Smith-hand a sucker having it only play in one ear, so have at; no skin off my back, except for them little wax gremlins there, just wipe them off. Their analogue, not digital, old school crystal tech. Might help you understand the connection between you and that jar you got there, and what path you need to reach Ahklama. It came from there. Maybe it’ll unearth some other things too, who knows. I’ll sit down with you next time we got a spare minute to spend. Besides, you’re friend is dropping by, walking a little funny. Just gave those two guys heck, and I don’t think he’d like me too much either.” Laughing with a swift turn, “Just remember, they’re tools, they help you learn. They ain’t what gets you there, but they convenient when you need them. Couple years, they’re just dust in the earth, loaners, ephemeral, just like us... This world will drag you down, it always does; but there no smiling if you live your life for frowning. You’ll get there kid, just don’t caught up with everything that ain’t.”

As Felicity came up to Aaron, they saw Simon make his leave and waved off the two for his trip into the mountains. Perking his mouth, Felicity remarked, “Why do these things have a way of showing up when I’m not there?”

“Same reasons things happen when I need them: No one knows.” Aaron replied, “It’s that simple. Zack complains about the same damn thing, I’m getting tired of hearing him bitch about it.”

“Sorry I asked. Also, what’s with the two stooges blocking the door? Last guys were kinda nice.”

Aaron laughed, and carried down the road. “Nothing I need to worry about, that’s what.” Aaron smiled. Even now, things were changing around him, guiding him somewhere. Looks like Felicity wasn’t the only piece to his puzzle after all. In his hands were a glistening pair of earphones, slightly large, with a flexible gemstone wire. Their translucent colours were pale, yet vibrant as it sparkled in the light. He tucked them into his pocket, and carried on.