Eric
sleepily swatted at the shaker.
“Go away . . .sleep,” he said and curled back under his
blanket. The blanket was yanked away and he shivered. He opened his eyes to see
Aio's smiling face.
“Good morning!”
Eric rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”
“Oh, about 6.”
“SIX IN THE MORNING?!”
Aio rang his ears out. “Yeah, six in the morning.” Eric
slumped back into bed, but sleep evaded him without a blanket.
“Why . . . you wake me . . .early?”
“To see the sunrise, of course.”
“Don't . . . wanna see sunrise,” Eric mumbled and curled
into a ball.
“Oh, come on.”Aio pulled him out of bed by his ankles and
dragged him across the floor. Eric resigned himself to his fate and let himself
be dragged. Outside, he was dropped on a rock formation. He screamed when he
was doused with cold water.
“Wakey! Wakey!” Aio cheered as he put down his bucket. “You're
missing one of nature's most beautiful wonders!” Eric was most definitely awake
now and most definitely cold and wet. Aio plopped down on his own rock and
said, “Did you like living in your home world?”
“Yes of . . .” His response was automatic, not true. Even
before Tasio showed up, his life was awful. His family was non-existent. He
didn't make ends meet. He was picked on at work. His neighbor was the
guy-who-wouldn't-go-away. “No.”
“Ohh. That's too bad . . . ” Aio said sadly. He perked up
instantly. “But you can make a new life here. A better life! Just like me!”
“Oh yeah. You said you were 'Formerly of Latrot.' What
happened?”
“Oh, you know, stuff happens.” Aio shrugged. “Had to leave
or more stuff would happen.”
“Any family?”
“Oh, yeah. I got family all over the place, but we don't
really get along; sibling rivalry, ya know?”
Eric would have questioned further, but the sun was rising
and it was indeed beautiful. It almost made him forget he was cold and wet. “All
right, now let's get you into some dry clothes,” Aio said. “You should know
better than to sit in wet ones.”
You're the one who got me wet . Dripping back to the
room, Eric dried off and looked for new clothes. He found an earth-brown tunic
and dark pants, and changed into them. Aio tossed his soaking wet business suit
into a dark corner and left it there.
“That's better, isn't it?” Aio asked.
“Yeah . . .” Eric said. He suddenly felt lighter. “Yeah! A
lot better.”
“Good! Let's go eat.”
At the cafeteria entrance, Aio inserted his bronze crystal
into a brown cube on the greeter's desk. The crystal glowed slightly and the
guy waved Aio in.
Eric recognized some items on the line: lettuce,
strawberries, and some kind of pasta. Other things he had no idea what they
were; like a meaty-looking thing with a green band around the middle and yellow
zigzag. As he reached for it, its middle opened and the yellow zigzag teeth
snapped down on his fingers. He yelped. Aio laughed and rapped the thing's top.
It let go and fell on Aio's tray.
“Roomy, a little advice,” Aio said. “Don't eat anything that
looks like teeth.”
“Then why are you eatingit?”
“It tastes good if know how to deal with it.”
The pair sat down and Eric eagerly dug in. Once again, he
was amazed at the food's incredible taste. Just like the berries and water from
the forest, it was like eating energy itself. He felt good enough to run up ten
flights of stairs and back again.
“Never tasted food like that, have you?” Aio asked. “That's
mana-rich food.”
For the second time Eric asked, “Isn't mana the same stuff
that makes monsters?”
“Yep! Mana is the source of all life.”
“There you are,” a sleepy voice drawled.
Aio turned and pointed. “Oh, look! It's Mr. Monotone!” The
dorm keeper became slightly annoyed. “Mr. Watley, you have an appointment at
the Heleti General Hospital.”
“That doesn't sound like a good idea, Roomy,” Aio said
cautiously.
“Why not?”
Aio pulled Eric close and
sleepily swatted at the shaker.
“Go away . . .sleep,” he said and curled back under his
blanket. The blanket was yanked away and he shivered. He opened his eyes to see
Aio's smiling face.
“Good morning!”
Eric rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”
“Oh, about 6.”
“SIX IN THE MORNING?!”
Aio rang his ears out. “Yeah, six in the morning.” Eric
slumped back into bed, but sleep evaded him without a blanket.
“Why . . . you wake me . . .early?”
“To see the sunrise, of course.”
“Don't . . . wanna see sunrise,” Eric mumbled and curled
into a ball.
“Oh, come on.”Aio pulled him out of bed by his ankles and
dragged him across the floor. Eric resigned himself to his fate and let himself
be dragged. Outside, he was dropped on a rock formation. He screamed when he
was doused with cold water.
“Wakey! Wakey!” Aio cheered as he put down his bucket. “You're
missing one of nature's most beautiful wonders!” Eric was most definitely awake
now and most definitely cold and wet. Aio plopped down on his own rock and
said, “Did you like living in your home world?”
“Yes of . . .” His response was automatic, not true. Even
before Tasio showed up, his life was awful. His family was non-existent. He
didn't make ends meet. He was picked on at work. His neighbor was the
guy-who-wouldn't-go-away. “No.”
“Ohh. That's too bad . . . ” Aio said sadly. He perked up
instantly. “But you can make a new life here. A better life! Just like me!”
“Oh yeah. You said you were 'Formerly of Latrot.' What
happened?”
“Oh, you know, stuff happens.” Aio shrugged. “Had to leave
or more stuff would happen.”
“Any family?”
“Oh, yeah. I got family all over the place, but we don't
really get along; sibling rivalry, ya know?”
Eric would have questioned further, but the sun was rising
and it was indeed beautiful. It almost made him forget he was cold and wet. “All
right, now let's get you into some dry clothes,” Aio said. “You should know
better than to sit in wet ones.”
You're the one who got me wet . Dripping back to the
room, Eric dried off and looked for new clothes. He found an earth-brown tunic
and dark pants, and changed into them. Aio tossed his soaking wet business suit
into a dark corner and left it there.
“That's better, isn't it?” Aio asked.
“Yeah . . .” Eric said. He suddenly felt lighter. “Yeah! A
lot better.”
“Good! Let's go eat.”
At the cafeteria entrance, Aio inserted his bronze crystal
into a brown cube on the greeter's desk. The crystal glowed slightly and the
guy waved Aio in.
Eric recognized some items on the line: lettuce,
strawberries, and some kind of pasta. Other things he had no idea what they
were; like a meaty-looking thing with a green band around the middle and yellow
zigzag. As he reached for it, its middle opened and the yellow zigzag teeth
snapped down on his fingers. He yelped. Aio laughed and rapped the thing's top.
It let go and fell on Aio's tray.
“Roomy, a little advice,” Aio said. “Don't eat anything that
looks like teeth.”
“Then why are you eatingit?”
“It tastes good if know how to deal with it.”
The pair sat down and Eric eagerly dug in. Once again, he
was amazed at the food's incredible taste. Just like the berries and water from
the forest, it was like eating energy itself. He felt good enough to run up ten
flights of stairs and back again.
“Never tasted food like that, have you?” Aio asked. “That's
mana-rich food.”
For the second time Eric asked, “Isn't mana the same stuff
that makes monsters?”
“Yep! Mana is the source of all life.”
“There you are,” a sleepy voice drawled.
Aio turned and pointed. “Oh, look! It's Mr. Monotone!” The
dorm keeper became slightly annoyed. “Mr. Watley, you have an appointment at
the Heleti General Hospital.”
“That doesn't sound like a good idea, Roomy,” Aio said
cautiously.
“Why not?”
Aio pulled Eric close and
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