The knocking sound at the apartment door seemed to grow more impatient. Raj hustled his ageing body, as quickly as he could, to greet the impatient visitor. He unlatched the door and opened it suddenly, Liz instinctively moved backwards from the abrupt movement, “I’m so sorry, we must have dozed off - the pair of us,” said Raj, rubbing his eyes in a tired fashion.
Liz regained her composure, and she smiled sympathetically, “Is he ready to go, it’s getting late?”
“Sure, come on in,” Raj moved aside and beckoned Liz into his apartment.
Liz scanned the room quickly; she could see Dan slumped within a large comfy chair. She approached the lifeless boy and studied his face as he mumbled and twitched his head. “Butterflies, crimson butterflies,” she could hear him say. He opened his eyes and sat bolt upright as if startled, “Mum, what are you doing here?” Dan widened his gaze and quickly located Raj standing behind her with his finger pressed to his lips.
Liz smiled and dragged a strand of hair from his eyes, “You were dreaming, I’ve finished my shift, it’s late and time to go home.”
Dan shook his head as if to clear imaginary butterflies and smiled at his Mother, “Yeah, enough excitement for one night,” he said yawning.
She turned, “Thanks again for everything Raj.”
“Oh, no problem, really.”
Liz sounded serious, “No, I mean it. Thank you.”
Dan rose to his feet quickly with his Mother ushering him out of the door, he turned to face Raj, “See you tomorrow night?”
“Sure, come by at six-thirty and we can continue our conversations, if we can stay awake!” he said, finishing with a small laugh to lighten the moment.
The door closed as Liz reached for her keys, “So you boys seem to getting on well then?”
“Yeah. He’s a nice man, with a lot of life experience; I can learn a lot from him you know.”
The lock turned and the door was pushed open, “I agree, it’s good for you to get some man to man conversation, just remember his advice might be a bit,” she paused, searching for the right word, “dated.”
“Wisdom never dates Mum.” Liz smiled; perhaps this arrangement would be good for him after all. She was dog tired and not in the mood for a long drawn out discussion; she needed to turn in and rest her exhausted body. Fortunately Dan was equally tired and without any discussion they both headed to their rooms and prepared for bed. Later, Dan tapped gently on the closed door to his Mother’s room.
“Yes?”
“Good night Mum, just wanted to tell you that I love you.”
Liz pulled the sheets until they were tucked tightly below her chin; she allowed herself a small smile, “Love you too Kiddo,” she said, just loud enough to be heard.
To his surprise he’d slept heavily. He was awakened by the screeching sound of a teakettle coming from the kitchen as his Mother prepared breakfast. The golden sunlight was starting to encroach into his room, as he stretched his arms to the sky and readjusted to his small-framed body. He dressed quickly and bounded into the kitchen to greet his Mother and the new day. He felt strangely carefree and light; perhaps the weight of the hunt for the beast had temporarily lifted from his shoulders. He felt safe and normal, embraced by familiar surroundings and his Mother’s company, “Good morning!”
Liz turned her head slowly while she poured the steaming Earl Grey tea into her cup loaded with double milk and one sweetener. “Well good morning, how are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” he said fixing his cereal.
Liz joined him at the breakfast table, “Enjoy your time off ‘cos next Monday you start your new school.”
He shoveled the cereal into his mouth but paused to weigh the gravity of her statement, “Yeah, I know.”
“Well don't sound too excited about it.”
Dan made a face to show his reluctance of starting all over again at a new school, an introduction he was not looking forward to. “I want it to work this time Mum, but I always seem to get picked on.”
Liz’s forehead crinkled with worry lines, “I know, I want it to work as well. We both seem to like it here. Be strong and confident, you need to put out a different vibe. Talk to Raj about it, he might be able to make some suggestions. Kids sense fear, they’re like sharks,” she created a dorsal fin with her hand and cut through imaginary water with a wiggling movement. “I’m sure you’ll be fine this time, I would feel awful if you were picked on again like the last school. You’ve been battling these demons all of your life.”
Liz continued but Dan had tuned her out, his thoughts raced ahead and he’d lost her. The prophecy stated that the person who would kill the beast was a person who had battled demons all of their life. Everyone had assumed it was the tough looking stranger; the Chief had drawn this conclusion already. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps he was the one that would need to kill the beast. He’d been battling demons all of his life, just a different type of demon.
“Are you listening?” Liz tapped her fingers in annoyance.
Dan stiffened visibly realizing he’d been caught, “Sorry, what?”
“Are you full? Do you want some more?”
“Oh, no. I’m good, thanks Mum.”
The day dragged on slowly. Several times within the hour Dan had checked his watch hoping the day would simply melt away. He couldn't wait until the evening when he could resume his adventure with Raj. Dan had visited the library and decided to study the legends and meanings behind the white spiritual animals. He read about the Sioux Nation and their tribal legends. He’d discovered the term Leucism and read about the case of the White Buffalo Calf woman. He learned of the Native Indian ways, but one fact surprised him the most, this phenomenon was not limited to the Native Indians of North America. Cultures as far away and diverse as Thailand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Brazil and Mexico all revered White Spiritual animals in their folklore. Dan rubbed his eyes; they were getting tired from the reading. He’d spread his assortment of books across the library’s reading table trying to connect common threads running through the diverse stories and legends. His attention was drawn to the large window set high into the wall in front of him. Rivulets of water streamed down the glass like little rivers streaming to the ocean. It had started to rain outside and the wind lashed the library while its occupants studied inside.
Dan lowered his chin and moved his head to the right, the reading table was full with books of varied shapes and sizes scattered across its surface. Students and people of all ages read silently and scribbled notes or typed furiously into laptops. His eyes surveyed the people working away in silence. It was nice to focus his gaze at a distance rather than concentrate on a book six inches away. He let his eyes wander and relax without really paying too much attention to what he was seeing. When his eyes regained focus they rested upon the long brown hair of a girl about his age. She propped up her chin up within her hands and stared intensely at a large open book. She read with intensity but made no notes. Her hair was straight and a deep golden brown falling to her shoulders and parted in the middle. She reached up to tuck a few falling locks away from her face and behind her ear. This action revealed her pretty face and large eyes. Dan stared uncontrollably but at that very moment she decided to give her eyes a break and looked his way. Caught in a mutual stare for a brief second he panicked. She smiled while Dan immediately broke the stare by pretending he hadn’t been looking at her and dropped his eyes to his book and a picture of an 18th century wood carving in Eastern Europe. He waited a few minutes and cautiously lifted his gaze back to the attractive girl. She was closing the large book in front of her and it looked like she was preparing to leave. Dan continued to read. After a couple of minutes he saw movement within his peripheral vision but it wasn’t her; a man with a scruffy blue t-shirt and unshaven beard had taken her empty seat at the reading table.
Dan pushed a large book to the side and opened another book to its Index. His eyes scanned the page until he found what he was looking for, White Wolf page 73.
Dan opened the book thumbing the pages to his intended destination. He felt a presence over his right shoulder and turned to see a short, spindly looking man wearing beige pants, with a brown belt synched too tight around his wispy waist. He wore a faded blue shirt tucked into his waistband making him look like a little boy wearing his larger brother’s hand me downs. The man was bald on top with wispy tufts of blonde hair on each side of his head with golden colored rounded glasses, the type John Lennon use to wear. He leaned in to scold Dan in a patronizing whisper. His voice was controlled and at a library volume, but loud enough for the other people studying at the reading table to hear. It was clear that this little man wanted to let everyone know that he had authority and he wasn't to be trifled with, despite his diminutive size. “Young man, you are only allowed to have two books removed from the shelf and on the reading table at any time. There are signs on the wall and on the table,” he said, pointing at a laminated card placed upon the table. “I assume you can read?” he said sarcastically. Dan was stunned into silence and felt embarrassed, “Two at any time, that means you have to take one back, what are you waiting for?”
The silence was deafening and Dan could feel the blood rushing to his face and his burning hot cheeks. A whispered voice from across the table in front of him provided some welcome relief. “Actually he only has two books, this one is mine,” she said pulling at one of his books, “and this one is mine,” she said pointing to a book tucked under her arm. She sat in the only remaining open chair located directly across from Dan and smiled sweetly at the irritating little man seemingly drunk on his own power. She opened a book and pretended to read intently, her line was expertly delivered with a dismissive tone that seemed to work.
People at the table stopped and stared at the man. They knew he’d been outfoxed and outsmarted by a cute, intelligent, fearless girl, and they were silently enjoying it. The thin little man adjusted his glasses, let out an audible sigh of frustration, and clearly irritated, walked away quickly. Once the man had left, satisfied smiles crossed the faces of people at the reading table. The young girl sat stoically reading Dan’s book on Native Indian legends. Dan stared at her in awe. She was the only person his age at the reading table and she’d firmly but politely put that annoying little man in his place. She stopped reading and raised her brilliant brown eyes to meet Dan’s gaze with just a hint of a satisfied smile. Dan mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
She broke into a smile brushing away her falling hair from her face. She mouthed the words, “Can’t stand that guy, you’re welcome,” back to him. She took both books back to the shelves as Dan waited for her to return. She never did, and his chance was gone, if he ever had a chance in the first place. The weather had cleared up and it was overcast but dry and windy. Dan kept his head down, facing the wind, as he returned home from the library. All he could think about was the cute girl that had rescued him. She was definitely out of his league, was probably very popular, and one of the cool kids. Still, she’d saved him.
As he trudged home he started to scold himself mumbling under his breath, “Why didn’t you introduce yourself? Why didn't you ask her what her name was? God you’re so stupid. She only took pity on you, that doesn’t mean she likes you. Let her go - she’s out of your league anyway. But she could come to the library again; at least you know where she hangs out now. Ahhh, forget it, you have a beast to kill. That's far more exciting than chasing some girl that’s not interested in you.”
Dan didn't pay too much attention to his walk home, and arrived sooner than he thought, he couldn't recall much of the journey because his thoughts were distracting. He entered the apartment building and glanced at his watch, “Two and a half hours before I see Raj again, just enough time to have some dinner,” he muttered.
Dinner was pasta, with a tomato sauce with mushrooms, but Liz talked throughout, with Dan pretending to listen, but his thoughts had drifted to the green eyed, brown haired girl, he’d met in the library. Liz’s story involved a handsome man; he was polite, shy and refined, and he always ate alone at the restaurant. Liz felt he came in with a hidden motive, to specifically see her; he smiled a lot, didn't wear a wedding ring, and always left an overly generous tip. She thought he was cultured and perhaps too shy to hit upon her by asking her out, yet it was obvious that this is what she wanted. It was nice to see her excited and happy about the attentions of a man.
After dinner Liz went to her room to change for work, and Dan cleared away the table settings as usual. When he’d stored away the last plate, she emerged from her room wearing her server’s uniform; flat comfortable shoes ideal for walking, black loose fitting pants, and a black polo shirt. She looked different tonight and Dan noticed. Her hair was swept up and held in place by a pretty hair clasp made from tiger-eye. Liz had carefully applied some makeup to accentuate her eyes, soften her face and define her lips. She looked nice, but Dan didn't want to say anything that would make her feel self conscious or silly. He opted to ignore it. Liz carried on as normal, preparing Dan to go and visit Raj, so Dan played along with the charade knowing she had made an effort to impress the polite male customer.
Liz knocked gently upon Raj’s apartment door. The door swung open followed by an exchange of pleasantries. Then it happened, Raj’s innocent comment drew attention to her appearance, “Liz, you look really nice tonight,” observed Raj.
Dan visibly stiffened, knowing that a comment like that from Raj would make his Mother uncomfortably self-aware, “Why thank you Raj, nice of you to notice,” she said smiling and shooting a glance at her son.
Dan looked at his feet feeling her stare boring a hole through his head, “Have a good shift Mum,” said Dan, scurrying into Raj’s apartment. He felt awful.
When Liz left, Raj faced Dan and inquired, “What was that all about?”
“Oh, I didn't say anything because she’s getting all glammed up for some fella that comes into the restaurant. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because she gets all nervous and stuff.”
“I see,” said Raj smiling.
After a little chat they locked the door and settled in to use the Dream Cane.
* * * * *
The Fourth Realm - Vianna
Chapter 11: The Chief’s Guest
The Village of Autumn, The Mine District.
“Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.”