I woke up the next morning eager to see Owen. I ate quickly and darted out the door. In my absent mindedness I had to fly back to tell Shae 'thank you' and 'I'll see you later'. Shae was delighted I came back just for that reason. As I approached Owen's bedroom window, I noticed it was already open. And when I walked inside, I saw he was still asleep.
Odd, I thought and floated over to the small table nearest the window beside his bed. I sat there too excited to leave, but too nervous to wake him up. I crisscrossed my legs as I waited for him to wake up; so many questions running through my head. After 10 minutes of driving myself crazy, he finally started to stir. He rolled a few times and stretched, and turned in my direction with groggy eyes.
"Ri"? His was voice coarse and deep. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at me, "Were you watching me sleep"?
"When you say it that way, it sounds creepy", I retorted trying to hold in my questions.
"Because it is", he said with a yawn, but didn't seem to care.
"I didn't want to wake you", I said standing up as he sat up, his bare back facing me.
He peered over his shoulder with a sleepy grin, "Well, thank you for letting me sleep".
He stood up and left the room, and I waited about 5 minutes for his return. He walked back into the room and pulled on pants and a shirt. He glanced over at me as he buttoned his blue pants, "Uh...Is there something on your mind"?
I smiled wide with a clap of my hands, "YES! How many hours do you normally sleep? Do you dream? If you do dream, do you have nightmares too? How did you warp the wood to make that drawer thing that holds your clothes"? I asked quickly, and then pointed at the large drawer thing.
"Uh" he grunted with a laugh and walked out of his room.
Did I upset him? Confuse him maybe?
"Come on, Ri", he called after me with a sigh. A smile brightened my face as I courageously flew out of his room and followed him down the stairs. As I flew into his kitchen, or lack thereof, I saw him walking over to a table pushed against the wall on the other side of the kitchen counter ... Or lack thereof. He poured water from a large canteen into a black contraption, and opened a can of black powder.
"What's that", I asked, bravely landing on the table only 15 inches away from his person.
"Coffee", he said scooping the powder into a different compartment of the contraption.
"Like the bean"?
"Yes", he stated happily, flipping a switch and then walking away.
"So, you ground the bean", I deduced, "and then..."
"And then mix it with hot water", he said pulling a Cup from the doored shelves, "and then separate the bean from the liquid".
I jumped looking at the machine when it puffed. "And that's called coffee".
"Right", he walked back up to me and set his Cup down in front of the contraption.
"And this thing does that for you"? I waved my hand at the contraption and then craned my neck to look up at him.
"Yep", He nodded, staring at it starting to drip. I could feel the heat from it, and the aroma was... inviting?
"Does it taste good"?
"It grows on you", he shrugged.
I glanced up to him. "But you drink it for energy I assume".
"Yep, we call it caffeine".
"Caffeine", I repeated him, looking to the filling decanter.
I felt his gaze shift onto me as he looked at me with a peculiar smile, "You're a lot braver today".
"Eh", I shrugged and waved a hand dismissively as I walked around the table looking at all the humans...belongings. "I figured if you wanted to steal my magic or kill me, you would have tried by now". I flew over to the shelves with doors. Grabbing its handle, I pulled one of the doors open and landed inside.
"Magic"? He questioned loudly after pouring himself a cup of black liquid.
"Yeah", I shouted from behind giant bowls.
"What sort of magic", he asked as he walked over to the shelf I was wandering around in.
"Why....", I peered out from behind a bowl to see him take a sip. "Are you planning on stealing it"? I accused playfully.
"Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know how", he chuckled.
"Hm. Elemental magic mostly", I said studying the design of the bowl, "We can conjure a few things, perform a few spells and charms here and there, but mostly we manipulate the elements". I looked out from behind the bowl concerned with his lack of response. His dark Brown eyes widened, and his brows raised in question.
"Are you okay"? I asked slowly.
"Ye-ah," He shook his head with a light laugh, "I think I can understand why you were so curious about why I didn't chase after you".
"Well, I'm too curious a fae for my own good", I said moving over to the colorful collection of cups.
"Too curious"? He took another sip of his coffee.
I shrugged, "Or so my mother says—what are these made of"?
"Porcelain", he said quickly and I mouthed the new term as he continued, "So, you have parents then".
"Yu-p, though I only remember a little about my father".
"Why is that"?
"Because", I grunted out as I pushed a cup back to get a better look at it, "He left when I was young, and hasn't come home yet".
"Yet", he questioned and looked away, "I'm sorry, I-I know that's rough".
I shook my head and walked out from the cups to face him. "Take back your pity", I chuckled, "I understand him all too well".
He seemed surprised with my lack of emotion on that subject, and walked around the counter base for a refill.
"So, he left when you were young"?
I nodded and sat down on the ledge of the shelf.
"How young were you? If you don't mind me asking".
"Eh, I was a bit younger than my brother is now", I said and calculated it as he took a sip, "I was about, 390, I think".
He choked on his coffee with wide eyes, and raised his voice a little, "390"? My own eyes widened with his reaction, concerned and confused by it.
"How old are you now", he asked with an eager voice.
"Seven hun-dred", I said slowly. His reaction made me nervous, so I decided to fly over to the neighboring shelf and open another door to explore. The shelf I opened housed large glass bottles that reeked like honey wine but did not smell as pleasant.
"Seven Hundred"! He exclaimed and walked over to me, but I was quick to jump behind a tall square bottle.
"Ri", He said making efforts to sound softer, no doubt noticing my jumpiness, "You're 700 years old"?
"Are you making fun of me"? I asked, genuinely unable to understand his reaction.
"No, I'm not".
"Then why did you react that way"? I peeked out from behind the bottle.
I could see him take a deep breath, "Because I'm 27".
I stepped out fully in surprise. "You're twenty seven hundred years old"! I yelled, and then whispered, "You look great", in astonishment.
"No, no", he said slowly, "I'm 27 years old".
I crossed my arms and laughed. My laughter died down when I saw his face was stoic.
"27 years"? I dropped my arms and my wings twitched, "Really"?
"Really".
I backed myself behind the bottle to hide my reaction, though I could see his glass warped figure on the other side staring at me. I walked behind another bottle, and then out around the front, "Well... come to think of it, I think I do remember a story my father told me about a time difference."
I turned around to see him mid sip with soulful Brown eyes, eager to hear more. I accepted that as an invitation to continue, "Well, if I remember correctly, my father used to come here all the time".
"Here, as in Oregon"?
"No as in the Otherworld...is that what you call it"? I grimaced condescendingly.
"That's what we—Never mind, just continue".
I nodded trying to drop the question, "So-o, 1000 years ago, traveling between the Homeland and the Otherworld was common for Fae, and my father used to travel here often. And I remember him saying...", I closed my eyes and tapped my foot, "that in the Homeland time is slower than the Otherworld, and since I am Fae I age slower as well... or something".
I opened my eyes to see his bouncing back and forth and grew slightly concerned, "Are you okay"?
"Yes", he shook his head and smiled. "I was trying to do the math, but I think it may be a bit early for that".
"Oh", I sighed with a smile, "So is Ori-gon what you call the Otherworld"?
"U-hm, No", He paused briefly, and I backed up behind a bottle timidly as he set his hot cup on the shelf next to me before walking off. I pursed my lips in confusion and walked out to the steaming cup to smell it.
Nope that smells bitter, I scrunched my nose. He walked back down the stairs and slowly grabbed the cup in front of me to take a sip. This time I ignored my uneasiness and stood my ground when he retrieved the cup; giving myself a mental 'pat on the back'.
I followed his line of sight to see that he was looking down at a flat rectangular object that was emitting light and color. I could almost feel the curiosity completely subdue my fear.
"What is that", my voice deepened with urgency; my eyes as wide as ever.
"It's called a phone", he said casually without taking his eyes off it. Curiosity completely took me over as I quickly flew to his hand holding the 'phone' placing both hands on his thumbs to brace the weight of my body.
I was mesmerized by the sleek object in front of me. I watched as the surface had a dot or two rotating in a circle. My eyes followed it and I jumped when the phone changed, brightening to a round colorful orb of blue green and white. But it didn't change after that...
"Ah-hem", Owen cleared his throat with the softest laugh, breaking my trance. I turned around and looked up at him and immediately released his thumb below me noticing our nearness and the grin on his face.
"Sorry", I said turning a bit pink with embarrassment, but instead of recoiling to a further distance, I just looked back down at the phone. I could feel his gaze as I hovered next to him and this new object, but I was too taken with this new oddity to care.
"Come over here", he said softly, drawing my attention back to him, as if to warn me of his next movement. It was easy to lose my guard around someone so considerate. I watched him walk across the fairly empty space. He walked over the smaller rougher table that held the sharp metal noise maker, and turned back towards me to beckon me over with a nod.
I flew over to him and landed on the table as he set the 'phone' down holding it upright with his hand. I quickly walked up to the horizontal rectangular object of color, and sat down in front of it on my knees.
"So this", he gestured to the orb in front of me with his finger, "is Earth".
"Earth", I repeated with excitement. "Like the element", I asked as I looked over to see his face nearly at eye level. He was kneeling beside me, his face only 10 inches away.
"Yes", he smiled and I could smell his warm breath that smelled like his black drink. Though I was slightly worried as to where my fear had gone, I just drew my attention back to the 'phone'.
"I believe this is what you call the Otherworld", he said and ran his finger along its surface which made the orb spin round. My shoulders perked up in surprise, as I watched the orb spin.
"C-can I", I stuttered nervously, I reluctantly drew my attention away from the orb with wide longing eyes and up to Owen. He smiled at me softly and gave me an equally soft nod as his eyes went from me, back to the phone. I reached out and dragged my hand on the smooth surface, which in turn spun the orb.
"Wo-w", I breathed out aghast. He chuckled lightly behind me, his breath blowing my loose strands of hair. I should have been startled by it, but my eyes remained attached to the orb.
"And here". Using his right hand, he pinched his thumb and index finger, placing them on the surface before he slowly separated them. I gasped and covered my mouth as he moved the globe which began to grow larger. After a few seconds--
"STOP"! I commanded and he obeyed looking down at me, "What is this called"? I asked as I used my hand to outline the air around the what seemed to be landmass.
"That is called United States of America, or USA for short. And this is called North America".
"The island of North America", I said in awe, and another breath blew past me as he chuckled.
It's a map..
"Well, the island is so big that we don't call it an island".
I shook my head trying to comprehend that. "Okay"? I asked with a tone urging him to continue. He moved the painting to the very left side of the island—which is too big for that title—and made the orb even closer.
"Okay, Ri, point your finger", he said. And no questions asked I pointed my finger. He chuckled lightly again, moving his right hand around me. With his right index finger he pushed my elbow up so that my entire arm was pointed out straight. I had glanced down at him doing so, and then up to his eyes before bringing my attention back to the phone. To my surprise I was not fearful of the contact, but rather made a quick mental note of how surprisingly gentle it was before turning my orb enraptured attention back to the 'phone' in front of me.
He moved the phone meticulously, and then touched it to my finger. "We are here", he spoke softly.
"What"! I shouted as my posture perked up, but remained careful to not remove my finger.
He pulled the phone away and used his thumbs to go even closer to the orb. I dropped my hand and watched very closely to where he was going on the orb.
"Okay, do you see that dotted line"?
"This one"? I asked, and traced air in front of the phones surface.
"Yes", he said with a low voice, "Everything inside that dotted line ... Is Oregon".
I craned my neck to look up at him, and notice he was directly behind me now, about 5 inches away, with an arm on either side of me. But his proximity nor his size intimidated me right now... Right now, the only thing that made me feel small was 'Earth'. I looked back to the phone.
"And where inside Oregon are we"?
"Hold out your finger". His breath flowing past me again, and I obeyed stretching out my arm and finger.
"We are about... here", he said gently moving the phone to barely touch my finger.
"And can we go closer"?
"Yeah", he moved the phone away again as he used his thumbs to move us closer, and closer.
"This is the town", he gestured with his thumb. "Called Brookview. And this," he moved the orb even closer, and adjusted the surface inside the phone. Suddenly, the orb distorted and change colors as if I were now floating far above ground.
"Do you see that reddish brown square"? He questioned lightly.
"This"? I pointed.
"Yes, That's—"
"—This house", I interrupted him breathily. And all breath left me.
"Yeah", he whispered softly. I could hear a hint of concern in his tone. I reached my hand out and laid my palm on it for a second. When I released, the earth spun further and further away to where it was just in orb again, my eyes darting back and forth as it spun. I stood up quickly making Owen jump back about a 12 inches in surprise, and I turned around to face him. My jaw was slack as I placed a hand on my temple. He quietly set the phone down behind me and slid his arms off the table, as he looked me over trying to understand my reaction.
"Is.. something wrong"? I could tell his concern was genuine, but I didn't say anything. I just covered my mouth with my fingers, and turned away looked out the window behind the table.
"Did I say something"? He pried gently.
I let out the huge breath I had been holding, "No". Though my tone was completely unconvincing. "I mean, no. That was just a bit overwhelming".
"I'm—" ,
"—Don't apologize", I cut him off and turned towards the sharp metal noise maker before looking back out the window, "That was incredible... and exciting...I...just realized how small I am".
We stayed silent for a brief moment. "No" I started again before he could respond. "What I mean is: Yes, I feel small right now. But my world is small...". I turned back to face him and hoping he could understand, "I think Avalon is the Otherworld".
He nodded before shaking his head in confusion, "Woah, woah, woah. You're from Avalon"?
My face lit up as I nodded, "YES! So, you've heard of it"?
"Well, it's been mentioned in myths and legends".
My wings fluttered a bit as I sighed with a smile, "I'm not going to lie to you, that makes me feel better". I watched a grin slowly grow in his face as he grabbed his cup and stood tall over me and proceeded back to the table with the black coffee contraption.
"Well, I may have google earth, but you have wings".
"This is true", I agreed crossing my arms. Although I had no idea what Google was. I assumed it was the Earth in the phone.
"Why don't you tell me about Avalon"? He looked at me from across the room.
"What about it", I asked turning my attention back to the sharp metal disc. I touched appointed edge and withdrew my hand quickly in surprise of how sharp it was.
"You mentioned the other day that normally your kind is sent here for punishment... Why did you come voluntarily"?
"Well, I outgrew it, I guess", I giggled at the thought. "Too many rules, and not enough space for me to test my limits, and... I think I learned everything I could there ... I needed more".
"Wow", He leaned back against the table with his hand bracing his weight on the table's edge, "That answer sounded.. rehearsed".
"A fae is not simply go to the Other—Earth", I corrected myself, "on a whim. I was told it's a place of 'boundless danger'". I mocked my mother's warnings.
"It is", he said matter-of-factly. I looked at him with troubled features, though I'm unsure if he could tell from across the room. I believe he took my silence as a puzzled response.
"I could get in my truck and die on the way to the store".
I stared at him for a second contemplating what a truck was, but I understood that he was basically agreeing with that statement.
"Agh", I huffed and flew up to one of the beams that supported the enormously tall and open ceiling, "the last thing I want to do is admit to my mother that she was right", I said loudly slowly walking along the beam.
He laughed, "So what if she is? If you're not living on the edge, Ri, than you're taking up too much room".
I was rendered speechless as I watched him walk up the stairs.
"Wait"! I yelled and flew after him, "Owen, that was Brilliant"!
I floated into his room to see him sitting down on his bed, his face showing remnants of a smile. I landed on the desk-table to the left of his bed, almost in front of him.
"What are you doing"? I asked as I watched him pull out the 'foot coverings'.
"Putting on shoes, so I can go to the store".
"Store", I repeated, and he glanced up at me with a giggle as he continued tying the strings on the shoes.
"Yes", he chuckled, "a place to buy things like food".
"So a store is like a market"?
"m-m", he nodded his head back and forth, "Basically".
"How long will you be gone"? My wings drooped a bit.
"2 hours at most", he said setting his foot back on the ground, and looking over at me.
I peered at him, "I'd like to see this 'Store'".
He laughed, "Can you make yourself invisible"?
"Uh-m, No". I said as I watched him stand up.
"Then we should go on a day that's less busy", he said walking out of the room. I paused and my heart fluttered. We?
I gasped with excitement. "That's not a 'no'"! I exclaimed as flew down the stairs after him, delighted with the fact that he'd accompany me presumably for safety reasons. And my assumption was correct.
"Well, why would I say 'no'. I'm assuming you'd go by yourself if that were the case", he said as I watched him grab a chunk of clanging metal, "at least it would be safer with me around".
He opened the door and held out a hand gesturing for me to exit first. I flew out and watched him close the door before he started to walk off.
"Yes but, it may not be safer for you with me around"! I shouted after him.
He spun around to face me but continued walking as he shrugged his shoulders. "If you're not living on the edge" he said playfully before disappearing behind the corner of the house, no doubt to use his cart-wagon-thing.
"Oh"! It hit me like a rain drop, "That must be the 'truck'"!