Toes pointed and skimming the atmosphere of a planet unknown, the magnetic forces were strong and pulled at me greedily. I resisted and laughed. Music notes drifted from my mouth; the stars giggled at my beautiful laughter bouncing and echoing off planets and coming back like boomerangs.
Hair flitting happily.
Pushing with my arms and floating on nothing in nowhere, my mind danced in circles around idea’s floating and shifting in my head. My heart thumped slowly, breathlessly, calmly. I brought my hand gracefully through empty space and left lines of diamonds that shimmered with every movement of my finger.
“Diamond…”
His echoing velvet voice interrupted.
“Ruby…”
I smiled.
“Sapphire…”
I am every gem.
Jasek called again.
“Amethyst…”
I am every gem shining in the sky.
“Copper…” I replied.
He is everything strong. Pushing and swimming in gravity, leaving waves of sound, I flew in silence toward him. I could see the red trail of diamonds left behind as he flew coming into focus and I knew he was close. Seeing Jasek suddenly made my heart explode into a million tiny fragments of joy.
I spun in purple diamond circles.
“Jasek…” I breathed.
“Natasakay…” He whispered back, his arms outstretched toward me. I pulled closer to him. Holding me tightly and kissing my hair, he whispered in my ear almost too quiet to hear, “never will I be gone too long, my dear.” In our sacred dialect he whispered this a thousand times, repeating it over and over and over. Then he kissed my nose lightly and sealed his never-to-be-forgotten promise.
Chapter 1
I swam by planets of many indescribable colors with rings circling them and protecting them, these planets no one has ever seen before. Jasek and I, and of course Frisentica, my little giggly star, have only seen this place. This place is my place. One planet, though, stood out more boldly than the rest; the red planet. No one, not even I, has set a foot there. I ignored its’ intimidating stature and zoomed at the speed of light passed, leaving restless swirls of color in my wake.
Diamonds flowing behind as I fly don’t just float on by and disappear but explode and bubble into a sweet candy. This is my place, my true home. Elsewhere were moons where humans lived and crowded, always greedy for more of the galaxies and many planets. Searching, discovering, and snatching. Mu and Di have always spoken little of them and they’ve seemed to have become an old folk tale that has taken on inhumane traits.
I floated through empty space and thought amongst myself; speaking out loud. I don’t know what I am, nor do I know what Jasek, or my family is, but I do know who I am. My species is rare and unheard of. You might say I’m an alien, but that is a boundary. I am many colors in many different ways, my hair is smooth and changing, any mood I am, my hair reflects. If I’m happy, it’s a golden blonde and probes in a steady-calm pace. Anger; afire with crimson hues of red. At the moment though, it is a rainbow of happy colors; singing and drifting. My skin is silver, blending with stars and planets in the universe. My eyes are emerald green, they never change; maybe that’s why I adore them so much, for the very reason that they never change. I hate change; but I know in my forever beating heart it must occur… But can be avoided.
My life will never end; my body will never grow weak and old, but eternally be exciting and young. Stubbornness and joy will forever remain.
A small ringing echoed throughout.
Time to go home.
Irritation replaced my previous peace of mind.
I am home.
My thought repeated itself angrily as I flew at the speed of light toward Destell. I suppose this is my home planet, though I don’t like to believe so. Only my family and a mere three other families live on this lonesome planet. I slowed as I grew nearer so I wouldn’t slam into the thin atmosphere and come crashing down into a broken heap at the core of Destell. Pointing my toe and touching the atmosphere, as if testing warm water, I pushed my foot deeper, deeper…
Any second now…
My favourite part would be any moment. Deeper…
BAM! I was swept into a swirl of color, light, all dizzying into a blur. The blue grass appeared fast, closer, closer… Now! My flight diamonds kicked in just in time; the tall grass tickled my foot with its soft fingers. I flew up to the sandy pink sky and looped down. Circling in breathtaking rollercoaster’s, yelping and laughing in delight. Our blue grass hut came into view and I slowed to nothing.
The yellow sand at my feet looked tempting. The thought of walking as humans did sent a chill of adrenaline skittering across the surface of my skin. Heart pounding and mind racing I put my heel down, then the flat of my foot. It felt soft and promising, warm from the days beating sun and many moons. I put weight down on my leg.
Weak.
The first time I felt weak in one hundred and seventy eight years. I put weight on my other leg, even combining the miniscule strength in both my legs, they still wobbled ferociously. In some way though, I still felt strong and accomplished. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I grinned widely.
Standing seemed difficult, imagine walking… I bit my lip mischievously. Putting full weight on one leg, and putting the first leg forward, I balanced.
Almost forward…
“Natasakay!” I yelped in surprise. Losing my balance I tumbled backwards and fell flat on my rear. Looking up I saw Mu standing above, her hair a flaming red, revolving around her head in angry flames that licked the tawny pink sky.
“How many times have I told you? How many?” The question was rhetorical; “Walking” Mu spat the word with disgust, “Is for humans!”
“I just…”
“No ‘I justs’ Nattie!” She fumed for a moment. “Anyway, I called you for dinner two moons ago.”
“Yes, Mu.” I whispered and flew up just under her level; head hung low. I loved my Mu and Di with all my heart, maybe because they were the only family I knew. Sometimes, though, they seemed so skeptical; especially Mu.
She would pace around the kitchen with a sewn damp cloth in her hand, wringing and wringing until her strong hands went white. Sometimes I would wait outside and look through the back window as I hid behind the big blue and green tree. She would look outside often, sticking her desperate head in and out of the doorway, her eyes searching and searching; looking to the sky, and then the mountains. Mu’s hair would whirl and tangle around her head a rainbow of frantic colors, all colliding and meshing with one another.
“Xantilia, sit down. She’ll be back when she arrives. You worry more than any lifetimes worth.” Di would say firmly. Mu would swallow and come back inside, wringing and wringing that cloth. I was just about to remove myself from the comfortable spot in the tree when Mu spoke up once more.
“Derrev… Do you think she knows? I mean, there are so many out there…” Mu’s voice would falter often and she sounded like a frightened child. Di sighed and put a hard-worked silver hand on her white one.
“Please, let her be. There will be a time when she has to know. Let her be.”
~
Sitting at the old green wood table I ate the cold Gile, a big fish caught in the narrow rivers of Hesta; a group of rivers and streams that tunneled under the Hesta Mountains and opened it’s wide mouth into a large lake-Hesta Lake-and is surrounded by tall green and blue tree’s filled with tropical, colorful birds. I imagined their sing-songy twitters filling the air as I waited for the tug on my fishing stick.
I remember a long time ago when Di tried to teach me to fish. His happy face popped into my bedroom doorway as he went on and on about the wonderful fish that had hatched and would arrive soon. He rattled on but my childish mind was not listening. Although I looked full grown, my mind was still one of a child.
“Well? What do you think? You want your Di-de to come and help you fish? It’ll be fun! I promise.”
Di’s eyes pleaded and those last five words made me give in.
We cruised through the forest, Di holding tightly to my hand because of my recurrent reminiscing and daydreaming. With so many beautiful birds and sounds he had fear of losing me.
When we finally arrived at the small pond that sparkled and shimmered in the tenth’s moon bright twilight, I was drawn immediately. Di released my hand and let me float alone as he unloaded the large wicket basket containing his fishing stick and bait. I lowered myself to the sandy beach and let my toes caress it.
So soft…
I sighed with contentment and crouched to touch the water. I reached far, expecting it to be warm and soothing. I reached, reached… Losing balance I fell forward and crashed into the cold sparkling water.
Splash!
Reality crashed down on my fancying reverie when Mu coughed loudly as she headed to the far room. The table was quiet as I ate my dinner, except for the steady whiss whish, whiss whish, whiss whish of Di whittling a new hook.
Whiss whish, whiss whish, whiss whish…
I sighed and ate the last piece of cold Gile.
“Nattie.” Di said in a quiet, concentrated, raspy voice.
“Yes, Di?” I brought my blue Banada leaf to the disposal and ripped it up to be fed to the birds. Gazing at the tall wheat that swayed tenderly out the window before me… It was almost time for the back-breaking harvest time. With this back-breaking work, however, was also the wonderful smell of Bidel bread every morning for the next fifty moons.
“Where were you? You disappear for moons.” I swallowed. I loved my Di, but didn’t want him to know about my secret place, or rather, know where my secret place was. In my younger years I had many secret places; places I thought would give me privacy, for it seemed as thought Mu and Di were always trying to find me, catch me.
This would never happen, I was much too clever. Or… At least I thought so. I would sneak about and hide behind shrubs, big tree’s, anything that would cover me and watch them look for me. Wait for them to poke their nervous heads out the front door and search frantically. At the third call I would finally return home.
“Just floating around.”
Di grumbled and continued to whittle his hook.
~
The wheat stretched with tired arms to the purple sky promising a storm. Jasek lay lazily beside me, his hand entwined with mine. I stared up at that shuddering sky, watched the colors swirl relentlessly. Turning my head to the left I contemplated every line of Jaseks profile, every whirring tendril of hair on his head. He didn’t notice my gaze, but continued to watch the sky. I saw nothing else through the maze of wheat around us. Suddenly, more than ever before, this world felt very small.
“Jasek?” I whispered. My voice felt just as small.
“Yes, Natasakay?” He didn’t turn to look at me.
“Jasek.”
Finally, he shifted to my direction.
“Yes?” His eyes spoke deeper volumes than his words. They swirled a gentle gold-green that made my blood feel warmer.
“Do you ever feel…”
I suddenly felt silly asking the question.
“Yes?” For the third time he said the word and it made me want to put a hand over his mouth. I gulped down my fear, licked my lips.
“Do you ever feel…” Those golden eyes bore into mine and he waited patiently. “Small. Or… Like there’s more out there. Something that you’re missing?” My words were coming out in awkward spurts. Jaseks eyes clouded as darkly as the sky above us. He turned his intent gaze back to the sky and his hair went such a deep crimson that it was almost black. Anger boiled up into my throat and it showed in my hair.
“Look at me. Why are you suddenly so angry?”
“Why are you?” His voice remained flat and even.
“Because you’re not answering and… You’re not even looking at me…” Words drifted away in the light breeze. A sigh rolled over his chest.
“Yes. Sometimes I feel small.” No emotion lay in his voice. His hair, however, flew around in hectic circles.
“What about…” His grip around my hand tightened and a raindrop spattered on my cheek. Without looking he pulled me from the spot on which I had been laying in the grass and toward the tower of trees.
I resisted him, but he pulled yet harder.
“We’d better get under cover before the storm.”
So, I’ll be working on three blogs at once.
Comment on ‘em, whether you want them to continue or not, maybe a few outcomes you want for the various characters.
The story is in your hands.
Enjoy. =]
L.E.
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