Corinthian Roses

Chapter Five: The Constant By Daylight

I wake up to a piercing stream of daylight and an aching body. I groan and pledge never to get up. Wilson peaks his head in my tent and smiles, "Good morning. I trust you slept well?"

"I hurt. All over."

His face grows solemn. "You didn't go into the dark, did you?"

I've never been one for lying, but this was a time I feel I had no other choice. It was terrible of me not to listen to him in the first place, and I can't afford to lose his trust. "No, I think it was from the fall. My body simply had a delayed physical response to it."

He nods. "Of course, naturally you'd hurt today. It was a great fall you took, right into a new world!... Now, we'd best get up and going. You'll find this out soon, but time flows quite strangely here. I'll give you a tour of my homestead."

He extends his hand to my tiny grasp, gently pulling me up and helping me steady. "One quick thing," he begins. "You were holding this flower when you fell, and I held onto it. I didn't know if it was important."

I feel a small, permeating loathing toward the situation the rose has seemed to draw me into. But one can hardly blame a small flower. A small rose.

I take it from him graciously. My hand feels nice where the rose lies. The euphoric feeling spreads throughout my body and the ache and break my body feels wanes away into a sort of empowerment. I instantly feel better.

"Oh?" I speak curiously. Was this my imagination?

"Is there something the matter? What's the importance of that rose, anyway?"

"It's a Corinthian rose, I call it; one of my botanical inventions. It was a work in progress when you... left. I didn't tell anyone about it, only my brother. It possessed minor rejuvenating healing properties. But not by simple touch— and not like this!"

"You're going to need to elaborate further; I have no idea what you're trying to say..."

"I do believe this flower has healed my aching and wounds fully!" I realize how crazy I sound as the words leave my mouth, but the damage has already been done.

"Ah, I see. Very useful." He looks like he believes me, strangely.

"I'm sorry. That can't be. I'm imagining things."

"No, no. I wouldn't be surprised; the Constant has a way of altering things. Changing them, embellishing their powers and abilities. Usually it's against my favor, but this instance certainly isn't."

I look at the rose, which is significantly wilted, as if I have sucked its vitality away. I pin it in my hair and sigh. "I do believe a tour of this lovely homestead is now in right order, Wilson Percival."

He chuckles and extends his arm. I hook mine around his and he opens the tent flaps unto our brand new world. The Constant.

Yesterday when I was sitting at the fire, I had not cared to study my surroundings. Now seeing them, I wonder how one man could achieve all this. It's rugged, but beautiful, tranquil even.

The firepit sits right in front of the tent and there is a pile of wood next to it. However, there is another pit of some sort a few feet away, blue and crystalline.

"As you can see, these are the firepits. A normal one and an endothermic one."

"Wow! An endothermic fire pit! How did you come up with that?"

"I was desperate. Summer here is terribly hot. I had to come up with something before I cooked in the sun. A cold fire; cool and bright."

"Fascinating," I marvel.