up to try to meet its embrace. Almost as soon as I had risen, the sudden cool evaporated and left me feeling weak and empty.
“My name is Jacob Ofpacis,” I said, trying to retain eye contact. The creature deliberately ignored me. I took a single step forward, causing him to hiss in alarm and sidle away another three paces. A spiked tail flew from it’s backside, twitching in distress.
“Go away,” It said as it shielded its piercing yellow eyes.
“Away where?”
“Go away Jacob Ofpacis,” it insisted for a second time.
The strange refreshing cool suddenly passed through the space once more. The being on the opposite end of the room, straightened up and ran a forked tongue through the air. A small portion of the tar like substance stuck to the creature suddenly dissolved, leaving behind clean and brightly polished scales. He stared at his own arm in wonder.
“ Was that you?” It asked, drawing a claw to where the material had vanished. I shook my head which caused the creature to immediately lose interest in me. So we sat together in the sweltering heat, warily eying each-other for signs of movement. Occasionally, I would stand up to look out of the windows, trying to glean information from the outside world. Twice it seemed like I could see people running around past the veil, however the images I saw were fleeting. The bursts of freezing air that shot through the area at random intervals eventually brought the room down to a more manageable temperature. Soon I found my weariness overtake my desire to study the strange being who occupied my thoughts. I eventually fell asleep.
Chapter three
The Gift of Gold
A gift is a grievance
If grievances mean
giving new feelings
where before hadn’t been
Truths being fleeting
Open pure eyes
Where a gift as a greeting
Keeps men shut to lies.
I had been awake for awhile when someone hoisted me with some difficulty onto a shoulder, grunting with exertion as he did so. I didn’t know why, and I didn't ask why. I found I had much more time to concentrate on living if I didn't ask questions. Trembling slightly, the figure stumbled as he attempted to walk forward but eventually righted himself and set out a modest pace. I cracked a single eye open, and stared with disbelief as the land before me slowly moved past. A small instinctive groan escaped my chest as my carrier stumbled. All movement stopped and the person holding me flung my body onto the ground as quickly as he could manage. The sea of sunlight above me blinded me as I wearily tried to identify the person standing over me. Just young enough to be mistaken for a boy, the person above me had shallow rounded features, which made him look rather meek and innocent. His black eyes were hidden in a map of dark skin.
“It can’t be...” I whispered, eyes widening.
Preston looked away bashfully.
The next minute and a half was a frenzied blur, where in my disoriented state I lumbered up to greet the friend as old as time. One of us was laughing with an ecstatic mania. One was crying and trying to right himself every-time a sob escaped his lips. Both were exchanging times past in a wordless display of emotions. The thing that eventually tore my gaze was the intriguing lack of pain in my calf where the stone golem had struck me. Looking down, there was no evidence it had ever been torn or injured in the first place. Instead my lower leg shone with a healthy glow in the sunlight.
“But... How?” I asked, gesturing to the leg. Preston scratched his head self-consciously.
“My name is Jacob Ofpacis,” I said, trying to retain eye contact. The creature deliberately ignored me. I took a single step forward, causing him to hiss in alarm and sidle away another three paces. A spiked tail flew from it’s backside, twitching in distress.
“Go away,” It said as it shielded its piercing yellow eyes.
“Away where?”
“Go away Jacob Ofpacis,” it insisted for a second time.
The strange refreshing cool suddenly passed through the space once more. The being on the opposite end of the room, straightened up and ran a forked tongue through the air. A small portion of the tar like substance stuck to the creature suddenly dissolved, leaving behind clean and brightly polished scales. He stared at his own arm in wonder.
“ Was that you?” It asked, drawing a claw to where the material had vanished. I shook my head which caused the creature to immediately lose interest in me. So we sat together in the sweltering heat, warily eying each-other for signs of movement. Occasionally, I would stand up to look out of the windows, trying to glean information from the outside world. Twice it seemed like I could see people running around past the veil, however the images I saw were fleeting. The bursts of freezing air that shot through the area at random intervals eventually brought the room down to a more manageable temperature. Soon I found my weariness overtake my desire to study the strange being who occupied my thoughts. I eventually fell asleep.
Chapter three
The Gift of Gold
A gift is a grievance
If grievances mean
giving new feelings
where before hadn’t been
Truths being fleeting
Open pure eyes
Where a gift as a greeting
Keeps men shut to lies.
I had been awake for awhile when someone hoisted me with some difficulty onto a shoulder, grunting with exertion as he did so. I didn’t know why, and I didn't ask why. I found I had much more time to concentrate on living if I didn't ask questions. Trembling slightly, the figure stumbled as he attempted to walk forward but eventually righted himself and set out a modest pace. I cracked a single eye open, and stared with disbelief as the land before me slowly moved past. A small instinctive groan escaped my chest as my carrier stumbled. All movement stopped and the person holding me flung my body onto the ground as quickly as he could manage. The sea of sunlight above me blinded me as I wearily tried to identify the person standing over me. Just young enough to be mistaken for a boy, the person above me had shallow rounded features, which made him look rather meek and innocent. His black eyes were hidden in a map of dark skin.
“It can’t be...” I whispered, eyes widening.
Preston looked away bashfully.
The next minute and a half was a frenzied blur, where in my disoriented state I lumbered up to greet the friend as old as time. One of us was laughing with an ecstatic mania. One was crying and trying to right himself every-time a sob escaped his lips. Both were exchanging times past in a wordless display of emotions. The thing that eventually tore my gaze was the intriguing lack of pain in my calf where the stone golem had struck me. Looking down, there was no evidence it had ever been torn or injured in the first place. Instead my lower leg shone with a healthy glow in the sunlight.
“But... How?” I asked, gesturing to the leg. Preston scratched his head self-consciously.
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