Aynsefian

You can, echoes Ralieshen’s voice in my mind. Startled, I immediately look up at her. Well, up and then down. She’s some way shorter than I am. Her dark, wispy hair is tied up in a bun, and that’s the first thing I look at.

I must answer her. I try forming words in my mind and sending them to her.

I’ve never done this before. Please excuse me. I think they altered our minds when we got here. Did Zarasena tell you? I don’t believe Ralieshen will pick up anything I just tried to mentally send. I don’t care what procedure they did to me back in Central. I’m a dumbass. I don’t believe that I can do this sort of stuff just like that.

I’m wrong.

Yes she did. She knows me. I know her. You, not so much. You a stranger. But you and her: special. Special indeed. Fated. I like fated. You being here: also fated. Nice.

I turn quickly to Hon and Erishijea. It seems they are aware of what is going on. I feel like I’m being anti-social. They just smile warmly and calmly at me.

I turn to Zarasena. She’s doing the same. I think it’s because I haven’t wiped the shocked expression off of my face yet. Zarasena and I are fated? It’s been a strong connection from the start, but these non-humans seems to know more than we do about the winds of fate. I believe her. I have felt all along that I’ve been tossed around by circumstance, without much if any control over what has happened. Maybe this little humanoid woman, of a race that I do not yet know the name of, is right.

I look back at Ralieshen.

You’re getting all that I just said? They’re talking to you too, aren’t they? I’m still not sure I’m doing this right, I think, to her.

You doing it right… It’s right. They: silent. Watching you. You funny. She smiles at me. Her small face with its dark eyes lights up as she does. She’s probably quite old, but she almost looks girlish in the way she’s regarding me, her head tilted a little to the right. It’s tremendously endearing.

Now I can’t keep the joy off my face. I’m wishing I could stay amongst these people for a lot longer. I feel the hurt now that Hon must be feeling. It was showing on his face clearly back there in the cabin. He wanted us to stay with them here. However, he might have moved on and understands our plight now.

I glance at him. He gives me a knowing look. Maybe he is picking up more than I’m aware of.

I turn mostly to him. “I wish we could stay, I really do. But we have people’s lives in our hands. I know that you know that. But I want you all to know” – I glance at all three of them in turn – “that we would have loved to stay for a very long time here if there wasn’t a crushing reason for us going back.” I know I speak for Zarasena.

Ralieshen simply nods. She can understand my words out loud and in her mind. She beckons Zarasena and I into her house with a crooked finger. We go in, Hon and Erishijea following us.

Her cabin is sizeable and is adorned with a great variety of metallic and crystal sculptures. Some are lit up, others are not. The lit up ones have metal wrapped around them. This is old-fashioned crystal, if I recall correctly from my own history back on Inconflencia. On numerous wooden shelves are lit and unlit crystals, casting magical-looking light throughout the room. It’s captivating to say the least. I stay from one object to another, entranced by the beauty of it all. A calmness pervades the entire house, and were our situation not urgent, I would love to look around more and examine everything in detail.

Ralieshen goes into a back room and walks back quite quickly with a small metallic piece in her hands that looks very familiar. She takes it to Zarasena rather than me.

You have our story. You take back and tell your people. You create new Aynsefian. You come and get us. We come back with you. Later. We teach others here. They come to you too. They keep coming. After Aynsefian die here.

It’s a long speech. We all heard it. Hon and Erishijea, however, already realise this.

“You… you guys might see us again after all?” I ask. Erishijea is the one who responds.

“Yes, Axin, we will. It could be a long time. We’ll miss you.” Her eyes are misty. I feel much the same.

Zarasena is close behind me. I’ll never get tired of having her touch me, I’m sure. “It could take years,” she says. “Axin’s people want to move, but it could be a very long time. Maybe ten or even twenty years. Before we see you again.”

“We can wait,” says Hon. His body language is relaxed now. I’m not sure why.

Erishijea runs to us and gives us both a hug, together. Ralieshen and Hon too. It’s beautiful.

“I… I thank you so much. This… you coming to us. This is what you want?” I ask.

“We are outcasts here, Axin,” says Erishijea. “We live in harmony, but not in peace. At any moment, the rest of the Aynsefian society, the fearful and prejudiced part, could come and get us. They haven’t, but we know that they know we are here. Our future is uncertain.”

Hon continues. “Ralieshen’s device was seized. We don’t know where it is. It is a one-off. She can’t recreate it in full because she doesn’t have the materials. They will try to use it, but they will fail. They have the wrong intent. I’m not even sure they fully understand what it does. You are our link to that device. You can take us out of this place of uncertainty and give us total freedom. Take all the time you need.”

“Couldn’t we,” asks Zarasena, pausing in thought for a moment. “Couldn’t we just take ten years there and then return here in the next thirty seconds? You wouldn’t have to wait then.”

No, says Ralieshen. Device you hold have memory. It knows time. You spend years with it there, years pass here. We wait. We know how to wait.

It’s done then. We will come back for them. It’s resolved. We will bring the goodness and best parts of Aynsefian back into our future. It’s hard to believe that the little piece of engraved metal that Zarasena holds is a trans-dimensional device. It just looks like a piece of metal with engravings in it.

“How do we go back?” I ask.

You hold. Both hold. Together. In same position as before. Then you go back.

When we use the full nine pieces, how do we know that we’ll come back here and not back in that same place we went to last time? asks Zarasena. I can hear her voice in my mind. It startles me. I like it, though. It’s respectful to Ralieshen.

This piece know me. It come here and not there. I fix from last time. You start in same spot. Must start in circle building in Central or not work. You understand?

Yes, for sure. We will make sure of that. Thank you, Ralieshen. Thank you Hon and Erishijea. We will miss you all. I remember to think my words this time.

“Good luck! Stay safe,” says Hon, out loud.

Zarasena and I make eye contact. It’s time. We sit down on Ralieshen’s floor. I put my legs behind me and to the right. I can’t recall how Zarasena was sitting. She obviously can.

This time we stare into each other’s eyes and smile deeply. How Aynsefian has changed us. These few days have felt like forever.

Before I touch the metal that Zarasena is holding out towards me, I give one final wave and smile to our three friends. I can’t wait to rescue them in turn and bring them to safety.

Zarasena and I lock eyes again. I reach out to touch the metal piece. There’s not much of it.

No touch each other! Keep separate! Ralieshen’s words storm into my mind. Just in time.

Ralieshen’s living room, and all of its adornments and furniture, starts vibrating and becoming hazier and hazier. All I see is Zarasena, yet again frozen in front of me. This time I’m not scared or worried. I’m anxious. We must get home and make our escape.

The vibration increases, and Zarasena’s eyes are locked on mine, her face frozen delightfully as she’s smiling at me. That beautiful red wavy hair is sadly not moving, though.

Then the world goes black yet again.