Re: “i was miserable on the train ride home.”
Aaron sighed. He had no idea why he was taking the train. He could simply fly home and arrive stunningly and dramatically in front of his house, but he couldn’t surprise his family. He hadn’t been home in a little over six years. He had been warned by the Timekeeper not to touch the Earth until he had his gifts under control, otherwise he would spread chaos across the planet.
For the longest time he had been longing to go home and visit the family he left behind. So why was he so miserable. Maybe it was because of the life he had in his gigantic family. Being the exact middle and seventh child, he never really got the attention he needed at anytime in his life, even if his parents gave any. Maybe it was because of the crap all of his siblings gave him. Either way his life was filled with such pain he was glad to fall into the sky that fateful day and get away from it.
Despite the fact that he could see anything anywhere, he refused to turn his vision toward home wondering what they were like now. He decided that this would be a good time to look.
He looked into the past and viewed the days after his departure. His mother Jeannette was kneeling next to her bed praying. That was odd, Jeanette, or any of his family for that matter, never prayed. “Oh please, bring him back. Or, where ever he is, let him be safe and doing what you will have him do.”
Aaron shed a tear. He cycled through forward in time and watched the change that occurred in his family. His mother started going to church and praying. She started reading the bible, and soon it caught on to his father, John. John quit drinking and cleaned himself up. He got a job, a good one this time. His brothers worked hard to stop smoking pot, and eventually all of them did. His sister a year older finished high school with honors because of the better family. The house was cleaned up.
The pantry began to fill up. They never stopped searching for him. His sister went off to college and married a writer. Both his parents went back to school, and able to get better jobs. His father now worked at a desk programing computers, and his mother was teaching piano on the baby grand given to them by their son in law. His brothers started a contracting firm and built houses. They built a new one for their parents. He watched his younger siblings graduate, the twins get married.
Aaron was bawling. How could he turn away from them? The train began to decelerate until it came to a stop at the station above the Earth. Aaron walked off the golden train and stepped to the edge of the floating platform. Leaning over he vaulted into the air. Tendrils of red light forming around him into a comet’s tail. He fell like meteor into the atmosphere of his home world.
He targeted the outskirts of the town his parents currently lived in, his whole family lived on the same road. Was I holding them back? Or was it their love for me that changed them? He thought on his way down. Landing lightly on his feet, he started walking toward their subdivision. As he walked, his normal red leather cloak and clothes from the Timekeeper’s watch retracted and transformed into a pair of dark blue jeans a blue tee shirt and a red leather jacket. The red boots became red converse shoes, and the gloves retracted, but the watch on his right hand still remained prominent with its two and half inch face and three inch band.
Aaron tapped the watch face and rotated it until he arrived at the motorcycle command. Pushing the face in like a button, grinding and clicking noises emanated from the watch as a gleaming red motorcycle formed from it. The large bike stood their beautifully, fully formed as Aaron climbed onto it.
He revved the engine and grinned. A shiny red helmet formed over his head. Lifting his feat he shot forward into the subdivision toward his parents’ home. He came to a stop in front of a beautiful white two story, victorian home with a big red door. Aaron put the kick stand down on the bike and climbed off, leaning on it, wondering if he should go up to the house or not.
He saw a curtain move in one of the upper windows and a fifteen year old girl looked down from above. It was Aaron’s little sister Veronica. Her eyebrows raised in appreciation. Aaron began to read her thoughts but stopped the moment she thought, “He’s pretty cute, I wonder who it is.”
I can’t believe she hasn’t recognized me. He thought. Have the gifts of the worlds changed me that much?
The curtain closed and he heard foot steps from inside the house. The door opened and their stood his father and mother.
“Can we help you?” called Jeanette.
“You might be able to,” replied Aaron as he walked forward. “If you can recognize me.” Aaron was two yards away before Jeanette’s eyes began to fountain. John stood ogling with an open mouth.
Jeanette ran up to Aaron and bawled even harder. She sniffed and Aaron hugged her. Jeanette reached up to his face and stroked his jaw while smiling tears rolled down her face. “Welcome home!”
“Son?” whispered John. “Aaron?!”
Aaron looked up, his own eyes flooded, and nodded.
“Come in!” commanded John gleefully.
Aaron crossed the threshold into their large foyer, his mother leading him by hand. “Kids!” called John. “Get down here!” His tone was loving, if he had said those words before, he would have been very angry. There was a very large change in his parents’ demeanors in the past years. Aaron couldn’t stop crying.
“Who’s the hotty?” asked Veronica upon coming down the stairs.
“Your brother,” bawled Jeanette with joy, while hugging Aaron’s large arm.
At first Veronica looked ashamed, and then she remembered, “Aaron?!”
Aaron nodded again.
“I have to go call you other siblings and tell them to get here as soon as possible,” whispered Jeanette, and she went and grabbed the phone. She beckoned them into the sitting room. Aaron gazed around him. Their life had changed so much. All of his siblings were older than twelve now, as apposed to their life when Aaron was still there.
Jeanette just kept calling the nine siblings who lived else where. Aaron sat on his own sofa while the rest of the family his three siblings sitting on the other couch with John. Veronica was the second youngest, Emily the youngest at thirteen, and Hailey at seventeen. They all just stared at him. In a matter of moments Jeanette set the phone down and the door slammed open. In came his nine siblings, eight spouses, one fiancé, and several grandchildren came running into the sitting room. They all lined up either behind, on, or in front of the opposite couch to Aaron.
They all looked astonished, even the ones who had never even known Aaron. Anthony, his oldest brother cradled his newly born third child in his arms. No one said a word, but all eyes were wide and some filled with tears.
Michael, the second oldest, was the first to speak, wall actually shout, “Where in the devil have you been?!”
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I tried to explain,” replied Aaron calmly, he was trying very hard not to let his aura show.
“Try me!” he sounded angry.
“I’ve been away.”
“Well obviously!” shouted Anthony’s wife. Aaron didn’t even know who she was. Aaron decided to employ a special trick he learned from some long forgotten world, the ability to discover people’s reaction to something they were about to learn. Aaron discovered the they would actually take it composedly, because he also had the power of persuasion.
“Let me explain,” he began. “Six years and six months ago, I came home from school and went off to the old hill to do my homework. I finished early so I leaned back to cloud watch, then a few moments later all I knew was the sensation of falling… into the sky.”
“You fell into the sky?” asked Jeremy, the third. “I always thought you fell of the face of the earth, but I didn’t know literally.”
“Let me continue,” insisted Aaron. “Anyway, I was falling and… anyway, the details aren’t important, the most important thing I have to say, is for the past six years I have been traveling between worlds trying to hunt down this being called the Star Eater. All that you know of space is a lie. it doesn’t exist in the form you know. Stars are not giant balls of nuclear matter, but the souls of the dead…” Aaron explained everything he had experienced and all that he knew. They all remained silent through his story and motionless. Their mouths agape at first, but slowly began to close. To emphasize the story and prove to them it was real, he demonstrated his gifts and showed them the watch and its powers. When he was finished, everyone was speechless. The whole time he was talking he used the gift of persuasion, so they should believe him.
“So…” finished Aaron. “I would like a little feedback on this.”
“Why come back now?” asked Devon, the fifth.
“The Timekeeper told me it was time.”
“So you’ll do anything she says?” asked John.
Aaron nodded.
“Now that I think about it,” said Anthony’s wife, “I can see the resemblance, but how, in the world, did you grow so big?”
“Actually,” corrected Aaron, “the phrase is ‘how in the worlds?’ And the gift of stature has touched me one too many times.”
She mouthed, “Oh,” and nodded.
“So about these Fenner-whatsits, they just control everything?” asked Veronica.
Aaron nodded, “They are called Fennerites.”
“Scary,” she whispered.
“Not really,” replied Aaron, “The current kings is a very good man. He was the one who brought me the watch.”
“How long are you going to be staying?” asked Jeanette?
“The Timekeeper told me to stay here until called back. That could be for months, she did say that I wouldn’t be needed for several weeks.”
“Well, welcome home!” cheered Jeanette. For the first time they all smiled and nodded in agreement. Aaron could feel a tear roll down his face.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
(So, what did you guys think? I would like some feedback on this one. I want to know: do you want to hear more? Do you want something different? What do you think?
If you care, the original prompt came from: http://afinemuse.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/prompt-1/ Have fun and, Read and Comment!)
Matthias Oreklein’s Blog by Matthias Oreklein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Re: “It hurt, standing on the dark edge of the sky that morning.”
Aaron looked down on the worlds. They were all sprawled out sporadically. He looked up to see the sun illuminating. Morning and nights were strange from this perspective. What looked like a sunrise and set from all worlds was actually an illusion created by the Veil of Blue, the sun really just illuminates and then extinguishes. The Metronome usually floats around the sun to regulate its winter and summer patterns.
Aaron floated far from the sun halfway between the existence and the Star World, Polaris. He was so far away from the existence that all of the stars were numberless and moving at incredible speed until their forms were spread out and elongated into strings of light.
It hurt Aaron being so far away from home. He had spent the last six years protecting the people of the existence from the shadow of the Star Eater, but now on his twenty-first birthday he was on his way to the Land of Death.
Turning away from the sun illumination he began to fly toward the home of the only person who could save the worlds. He raced forward his massive red comet’s tail trailing behind.
Over the past six years Aaron’s powers had increased immeasurably. He was surprised how he had fought the Star Eater before and how the Star Eater could be so powerful. Aaron had currently visited over twenty thousand worlds and has changed so much that even on the surface of a world his red comet’s aura still luminesced slightly. Unfortunately he has not returned back to Earth ever since his first perceive.
Aaron, the only human perceiver in history, possessed two coveted native abilities, the ability to travel between worlds at will, as a perceiver; and the ability to learn, as a human. Humans, the last ignorant race in the existence, took their native learning ability for granted. Of course they never realized that other races were stuck with the talents and gifts they have had for generations. Humans on the other hand can learn any ability they want as long as they visit the world of its origin.
Aaron discovered his gifts one fateful day in which the first watch of the Timekeeper was placed in the hands it was destined for: Aaron himself. Yes, Aaron Robinson was the bearer of the most powerful piece of technology ever created, the Star Eater’s watch coming in at a close second.
Over the past six years Aaron had discovered many of the watch’s hidden abilities, they were so numerous he couldn’t even begin to remember them all consciously. Fortunately for him he could remember how to call them forth.
Aaron flew quickly, he was surprised at the rate of the stars. He had never known a star he couldn’t out fly, but these stars were neck and neck with Aaron. It was then that he realized that he wasn’t flying anymore, but falling with the stars toward the surface of Polaris.
He hadn’t expected his arrival so soon. Landing on his feat heavily he gazed in awe around him. There had never been an official record of Polaris’s existence but the legend was passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. The legend was nothing compared to the real thing.
Aaron stood in the midst of a flat expanse of white with blue and white a aurora flowing from the surface of the world. As the stars neared their final resting place the moment they touched the surface they disappeared. Aaron marveled around him at the sight. It was then he saw the man.
He was standing with his back turned and hands clasped behind him. His legs were spread and his robe blew in the imperceptible wind. He had long white hair that hung down to his waste. Aaron instinctively tried to use is all seeing vision to view the man’s front, but for some reason it wasn’t working, as matter of fact none of his voluntary gifts were working.
Aaron gazed down at his hands. His comet’s aura was glowing but the aurora of Polaris itself was blowing the red light upward like wind and smoke. Aaron walked over the man, he was obviously alive. Stars were the souls of the dead, and how could he touch the surface without disappearing as well?
As Aaron approached, the man spoke, “Hello, I have been waiting for you to come.”
“That’s what they always say,” replied Aaron side by side with the man. The man was large among average humanoids, but Aaron was gigantic. The man was a head shorter than Aaron. Aaron had no problem speaking to him in this manner.
The man chortled slightly under his breath. “Yes I guess it does seem cliche but it is the truth.” Aaron noticed that the man wore a shroud and goggles to hide his face, just like the Star Eater, but white. “Why are you here, Aaron Robinson: the Last Perceiver?”
“Legend says that there is one on this world that can help me defeat the Star Eater.”
“What do you mean defeat?”
“You know. Overcome, finish off, win…”
“Oh, that kind of defeat. Do you know why he does what he does?”
“Yes, but I have a feeling you do to.”
“True… but say it anyway.”
“He wants to reach polaris in mortal form. To do that without being a perceiver you must consume enough stars to have enough energy to fly such a distance like a star. What happens if you stand here in mortal form?”
“Think about it. Does standing on a foreign world affect anyone but humans?”
“No I guess not. Does that mean there are gifts to this world too?”
“More than you can imagine…”
Aaron went white, he already had enough power. “Keep going,” urged the man.
“I guess the Star Eater would want to come here because it is the final resting place for souls. He would have an unlimited source of power.”
“Logical explanation, but actually, he want’s companionship and peace.” Aaron gawked at the man. “Gabriel was not the first Star Eater,” he continued, “I was.” He pulled off his shroud and goggles. his eyes were shining white with the light of millions of souls trapped inside. When he opened his mouth light spilled out as well. The sign of a Star Eater.
Aaron backed away slightly reaching for his swords. “Do not be afraid. I was once corrupt like Gabriel, but I am reformed now. Do you realize how many stars I have eaten and how they affect me?”
Aaron slowly turned his head from side to side.
“I have consumed so many that I don’t even know my own name. I have consumed so many that I know everything that has happened is happening and what will come to pass, but understand almost none of it. I have consumed so many stars that I am half star. In essence I am cursed, I cannot die, so I stay here tending to the stars. My eternal penance.”
Aaron gaped appallingly. “Does that mean the same thing will happen to Gabriel?”
“It might,” sighed the Man, “but not if you get him here as soon as possible. I have to be the one to convince him to give up star eating before he becomes like me. It may take eons to empty his blood of starlight, but at least he still has blood to purify. The moment your veins are filled with nothing but starlight you cannot die.”
“How long have you existed?” Aaron didn’t want to use the word alive because he was technically neither dead nor alive.
“Since before the division of the worlds. I have very faint memories of running through the fields of paper flowers as a boy, visiting the golden capitol of the Fennerites.”
“Why do I have to be the one to bring him here? Can’t he come here on his own?”
“NO! If he consumes enough stars to arrive here on his own his heart will be pumping starlight before the three quarter mark!”
“How am I supposed to bring him hear?” asked Aaron.
“Follow me,” he said almost teasingly, “Your ancestors left you somethings on the mortal side of Polaris.”
“My ancestors?” puzzled Aaron.
“Come,” was all the Man said.
Matthias Oreklein’s Blog by Matthias Oreklein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Re: “In a way, it was destiny” (Zusak, 84.)
In a way, it was destiny… I had never really given much thought to how I was going to die, or even the idea of death itself. Why the sudden interest, I know not, but all I knew is that the first moment you realize that you have the power to kill someone is a scary feeling.
It all started the day I got my learners permit. I know, a weird place to begin such a tale but either way, this is the truth. My father and I walked out of the high school and he handed me the keys to our semi-brand new car. The glossy red finish was so alluring, I couldn’t stand it. I turned to see him smile as I opened the door.
“Now be careful,” counseled my father as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Now let’s take a time around the block just to see where you are in your driving skills. To see if these driver’s ed teachers know anything.”
I agreed and backed out of the parking space. I turned around and drove out the parking lot onto a fairly empty road. I looked left, then right, then left again and pulled out.
“Good job,” whispered my father, “I’m impressed. You were always so timid. It looks like you’ve become braver.”
I nodded and took a left when instructed. The highway was fairly clear and the speed limit was fifty, so I revved the engine and accelerated up. This car was a lot more powerful than the driver ed car! My eyes were wide with amusement, then the thought graced my ming:
“Kill your father…”
I froze. It wasn’t really a voice but more so the thought that if I wanted to I could simply turn the wheel slightly and probably kill us. I finished around the block and my father was slightly impressed.
“You did it better than I thought you would have,” he sang. “Of course, the key to being impressed is low expectations.”
“In a way that’s really reassuring,” I replied trying to get my mind on anything but that foreboding sense of power. I was scared. How could I hold a human life in my hand’s so delicately and gently. It was absurd to want such a thing. It’s not the power or the responsibility that frightened me, but the actually thought that I had thought was even more frightening.
In a way, I guess it was destiny. It’s not that I can control what comes into my mind, but I can ignore what I don’t want there…
(Author note: so what did you think? Please leave feed back in the comments. Criticism (positive), relation, and anything else will be accepted. Original prompt: http://afinemuse.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/the-book-thief-by-marcus-zusak/)
Matthias Oreklein’s Blog by Matthias Oreklein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Re: . . . the moon was sewn into the sky that night, clouds were stitched around it” (Zusak, 57).
Worden stared up at the deep navy firmament. He had never seen anything more pristine and graceful than the full moon. It was floating up above his head like his own little personal reading lamp. In fact, the light of the moon was so bright tonight that he could read by it.
A gentle breeze wafted through camp, carrying with it a minty or grassy scent on its warm billows. Worden exhaled a deep sigh of peace as he sat on the grassy, moonlit hillside over looking camp. He watched the activities of his friends and family for a time but never could stop gazing at the moon. He could see every individual crater on the pocked surface. The moon was magnificently haloed by glowing blue clouds. Each layer of them drifted at different speeds casting gentle shadows on the surrounding hills.
For some reason, Worden was most at peace during a full moon. Maybe it had something to do with the lunar symbols his father kept, or maybe it had something to do with his Celubrian heritage, but either way he was most calm under its glow.
Worden rested on his elbows and crossed his leg over his other and gazed up into the sky. He was so tranquil that he didn’t even notice the William’s arrival. Will rested down on his back next to Worden and placed his hands behind his head. Worden did the same.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” asked Worden.
“I’d have to agree with you on that one,” replied William. Worden released another sigh. “You seem very calm now. Did you get over your bad day, then?”
“I guess,” answered Worden, “I don’t really know what causes it, but for some reason, every time I feel the light of the moon, I am calmed. It happens especially during a full moon. I can only describe it as a complete rejuvenation of every cell in my body but I’m not hyperactive . . . rather . . . patient. It is as if I am recharged but I’m calm at the same time. On the inside it’s complete euphoria.”
“Interesting,” William Contemplated. “I was wondering when you would begin to feel the Light. Tell me, how long have you felt this way? And has it ever been stronger or weaker of a feeling in the past?”
“What do you mean ‘the Light?’ Is this about my heritage, because Dad won’t tell me anything!”
“Forget what I said about ‘Light.’ The important thing is that you answer my questions honestly.” They were both resting on their elbows now looking at each other. Worden could still feel the light of the moon stroke his skin, but was able to resist its allure long enough to stare at William.
“Alright,” continued Worden, “I’ll speak honestly. Now that I think about it I have felt the light of the moon my whole life, but with each passing full phase I feel it stronger each month. I believe it started to intensify around my birthday.”
“Fascinating,” whispered William. “Did you know that there is an ancient Celubrian story about the moon?”
They were laying back down, admiring the moon. “No,” replied Worden.
“It goes like this: In the beginning, there was a day and a night. The day was ruled by the sun that gave light and life to the world. The night was ruled by nothing and therefore was chaotic. Because of a lack of governing force, daemons of the night would run unrestrained. The daemons would do all kinds of mischief; from uprooting an elderly woman’s garden that she worked hours on, or the more severe work of seducing the voluntary giving of a mortal soul.
“These daemons were not only mischievous, but evil, spiteful and, worst of all, vengeful. Those mortals that knew of the daemons’ presence were perpetually fearful the night and prayed unto the God of Creation, Andoan, for help.
Originally he granted the faithful one guardian star, a guardian angel if you will, that watched over them all night long. Eventually there were hundreds of millions of stars, but not enough for every single person, so Andoan had a son. This son was a third son. You know of his first two: Ascon and Amthewal, the Keepers of the Gate of Life? Well, this third son was charged to rule the night, similar to the way Andoan himself ruled the day.
“And thus, the moon was created. The stars remain, looking after the descendants of their first charges. For the longest time the name of the long forgotten third son was unknown. Recently, sacred documents have been uncovered and the name is either Alarous or Karnai.”
Worden turned to glare at him. “You are just pulling my leg now, aren’t you?”
“I am afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
“By saying that a god has the name of my surname, now that’s pretty low.”
“I still don’t have any idea what you are talking about.” William was beaming now as he climbed to his feet. “Well goodnight.” And with that, he strolled casually down the hill to his tent.
“Wait!” Worden called after him. “I know you know what I’m talking about! Come back here and be honest! I was honest with you!” In the end, it was futile, because Worden couldn’t stay angry fast, especially in the light of the full moon. Karnai, he thought. What a load of rubbish. What he didn’t know is that it wasn’t that much rubbish after all.
Matthias Oreklein’s Blog by Matthias Oreklein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
