Etheusela

Chapter 1

(Each week I plan on adding one more chapter until all that I have roughed out will be here on Wattpad which will be over 20 weeks from now. Some of the ideas in this became part of Beyond Realms which is available on Amazon.)

Chapter 1

Tom Seaton was sitting on his porch just relaxing as it was reaching sunset. His almost white hair was glistening in the low light of early evening. The shadows were starting to lengthen as the sun began to set behind the horizon. Shapes were becoming indistinct all around as he was sitting on the well used deck chair. It felt good to take what seemed to be a much needed break after what turned out to be a very long day. Earlier in the day the kids had come for a visit and had brought the grandchildren with them. What was normally a very quiet day was completely changed.

He loved them dearly but liked having shorter visits then when they spent all day like they had that day. They just had so much more energy than he did and never seemed to run out of it. More than once he wished that he could be young once again, the age the youngest kids were. Sometimes, being the age he was just didn’t seem to have any advantages. Right now his lower back felt every year of his 55 years.

He swore to himself once again that he would never give them piggy back rides again if they came over. But every time they were there he couldn't help himself.  He would once again be giving them piggy back rides and leave himself aching just like now. Every time he looked in the mirror and looked at the gray hair it just made him feel old. That especially held true when the day had been spent wrestling with the young kids when they came over.

While sitting there he was beginning to nod off and some of the shadows seemed to be coming to life. It was as if they were moving and writhing on the expanse of the rather dead and desiccated brown grass that now consisted of the lawn. All of the watering restrictions had taken their toll on yards throughout the town. What had once been a wonderful expanse of green was no longer and Tom doubted it would be again.

At first they weren’t making any sounds which seemed a little disturbing to him but he let that thought pass rather quickly. He figured that it was just his imagination running away from him. As they got closer he began to realize that it wasn’t something like that. This was something that was happening for real. He was now becoming very sentient and awake.

"We want you to come with us." He felt it more than he heard it, his eyes got wide.

Not quite believing what was happening he shook his head no at their strange request. He was also trying to get whatever out of his head. "What are you talking about me coming with you?" He now more than anything wanted to eliminate the unwelcome intrusion to his quiet time.

Once again he felt the voices in his head louder this time, "come with us now, we insist".

He was really starting to believe that his mind was just playing tricks on him. There was no way that something like this could be for real. Tom was sure that he was dreaming safely in his bed instead of on the porch. "But I don't want to come with you", he declared. "I want to stay right here where I'm at."

"No, you're definitely coming with us now." He could feel the voice inside of his head become more adamant. Crossing the distance to where he sat the phantasms came to where he sat on the deck chair. As they moved it appeared that they writhed together. Though he wanted to run away he found that he couldn't, both of his legs felt frozen in place. His body was totally ignoring what his brain was attempting to tell it to do.

He began to feel the chair fall away he felt as if he were floating in the air. Then his heart started to flutter as fear was beginning to overwhelm and his stomach began to churn. Even his voice failed him as he was unable to speak or shout. All the while the phantoms were cradling his body. In moments he found that he was hovering over the middle of the yard. Though he attempted in vain to struggle against their grip his efforts were proving totally ineffective.

Everything around him began to fade into what seemed to be the distance. Shadows coalesced into nothing as all disappeared that had been a part of his life. While for a few moments he could see all that had been around him clearly now it began to look much like the heat rising off of black top on a very hot day. Then, it all began to fade into what seemed the distance as everything became lighter.

When his vision started becoming clear again he could see a bright sunny field that extended far below. Overhead a very few puffy clouds floated. In the far distance beyond the edge of the land it looked like the ocean churning and roiling. Cut into the hillside was an inlet with some buildings next to it. Most them appeared to Tom as if they were little gray beehives. A few others had a more normal look to them except for the green roofs.

It was quite a distance from where he was standing at to what could be described best as a little community. Scratching his head a moment he really tried to figure out where he was but nothing was coming to him. There was nothing around him that he was recognizing. Even the phantasms that brought him here were nowhere to be seen. They had apparently served their purpose whatever that might be.

His gut was twisting up with the oddest feeling as he looked over is surroundings. Confusion and loneliness had quickly become overwhelming emotions. Giving voice to his frustration he shouted at the hillside, "What am I doing here?"

Bringing his thoughts back under his control he realized he would have to find out the answers pretty soon.

Under his feet the wonderful carpet of sedge and heather felt so comfortable. Looking out into the distance it mostly looked like it was made up of various shades of green that were quite patchy. Up close however there were so many colors to behold. Little pink, white, yellow and red flowers were just about everywhere but they were obscured by the taller plants. That the little blooms were protected crossed his mind as he started to consider what he should do next.