The Other World
Sometimes letting go of the past is the best way to control the future
Aden. Year 4L 21/15
When Solomon had taken the leap, he had expected to drown in the Abyss of Unknown, but instead in a few seconds he was out of the whirlpool and into relatively calm waters. He quickly swam to the riverbank and looked around. The whirlpool had disappeared and so had the wooden bridge above it. In fact it looked like a completely different spot. He gazed towards the sky. The giant orb was still hanging there.
Solomon kept walking along the riverbank, trying to get away from the capital and his enemies. He knew the rebel soldiers must still be looking out for him. He kept walking till the sunset but he didn't find a single village or meet any person. That seemed very odd. Solomon started to feel a little anxious. There were hundreds of small villages and settlement around the capital on the shores of Vinum. In fact majority of the population of Elisium lived in the plains around the capital, within the range of a travelling distance of two days. The reason behind this was that the climate in this area was moderate, soil was extremely fertile, and the capital was nearby for all the other needs. Descendants of King David had honorably ruled these lands since the turn of this loop. They had taken very good care of their subjects and created a very just, moralistic and content society.
The landmass on which the kingdom of Elisium stood, stretched thousands of miles from its northernmost tip, guarded by the snowy mountains, to its southernmost point, bordered by the Great sea. The same Great ocean encompassed it on the eastern and western sides as well. Some explorers who had ventured to the far ends of this land, had found no other remarkable human presence anywhere else in this part of the world. And no one had so far, ventured out in the Great Sea or dared to cross the snowy mountains to tell people what lied beyond them. There may be other kingdoms or other civilizations on the other sides, but no one had seen them. As of now, the Kingdom of Elisium was what defined this world. And with that kingdom now under serious trouble, this whole world was now facing a grave threat.
After walking for hours on the trot, Solomon got exhausted and decided to lie down under a tree. With teary eyes and a huge lump forming in his throat he reflected on the events of that day. The day which was supposed to become the happiest day of his life had turned into a dreadful nightmare. His father was murdered on his birthday and most probably his mother as well. His home, and every single thing dear to him, was snatched away from him. He was left all alone, in an unrecognizable place, running for his life like a fugitive. Lamenting on the cruel twists of destiny he rested his head against the ground. Instantly the bliss of a deep sleep engulfed him and at least for the time being took all his pain away.
The next morning he was jolted by a kick in his side. He woke up with a start to find two spears pointing at his face. "Who are you? What are you doing lying under the open skies during the days of darkness?" asked one of the four villagers who had surrounded him.
"He looks like one of those rich spoiled brats who live upstream," said another, bending down to touch his silky robe, "I have never seen such shining soft clothes in my life."
One of them kicked him in his gut, "tell us who are you?"
"Leave the kid," and elderly man stepped forward, "can't you read a person's expressions. The kid looks confused and frightened, and I can see he is also hungry for sure. Take him with us to our village."
"But father we don't even know who he is," protested the guy who had kicked him, "he could be someone with some evil plans."
The old man gave Solomon a deep long stare, as if he was looking right through his flesh into his soul. Solomon started to get goosebumps. "This kid is far from evil. He doesn't have any plans, but I am sure destiny has some plans for him."
Solomon was helped on his feet and taken to a small village lying amidst acres of lush green farms. The thunderstorms were lashing the land with relentless fury. Solomon cautiously looked around him, overheard some chats between the villagers and deduced that something was out of place. Something about this place appeared a little odd. The atmosphere here felt gloomier and the landscapes looked darker. From the houses in the village, to the clothes of people, to the food they ate, everything seemed from some bygone era. There was an air of stagnancy. It looked as if the people here were living in some other period of time. Solomon started to feel that by jumping in that whirlpool, he had jumped back a few cycles in time. Or, God knows, maybe one whole loop.
Solomon tried hard to hear the conversations of the people to pick up on any news about what happened in the Capital. But to his utter astonishment, there was no mention of the capital or about the grand ceremony that was about to take place the last night. How can such a massive news still not reach the people. Some of the villagers must have surely gone for the ceremony and returned with news of the King getting assassinated. Why was no one mentioning that in their chatters?
Gradually Solomon begun to have a strange feeling. A thought again and again popped up in his mind. He nervously looked towards the sky, towards the planet hanging above his head. He wished what he thought wasn't true, but his conviction was getting stronger with every passing minute.
Some of the villagers brought him some food, gave him a fresh set of clothes to wear and then presented him in front of elders of the village.
The old man, who had saved him from the beating, was present there as well, "I think you must be feeling a little better now," he said in a polite tone, "now my brothers here want to know you where do you come from?"
Solomon believed that the best way to survive this scenario was to try and remain ignorant. "I don't know. What I remember is that I fell off a cliff into the river and was washed away by the strong currents. I fell unconscious and when I opened my eyes I was lying on these banks," Solomon managed to bring a few tears in his eyes, "since last night I am trying to remember who I am? what is my name? where did I come from? but I can't remember anything." Solomon's cousin had once suffered a head injury and had a temporary memory loss. Solomon decided to recollect that incident as his own story.
"Injuries on head can sometimes mess up your brain. I can see you have an injury mark on your head," one of the elders, presumably the head of the village, said pointing to a wound Solomon had got when he had tripped and fell inside the dark tunnel while escaping from the palace, "Well, It seems you are a God sent guest to us and we cannot leave anyone without shelter during the days of darkness. Our priest Peter," he pointed to the old man, "has volunteered to keep you in his house. You can stay here till you get well and remember something about your past."
"He may not want to remember the past at all" said Peter looking at Solomon "Sometimes letting go of the past is the best way to control the future"
"He doesn't even remember his name, what shall we call him?" asked one of the elders.
"Solomon," replied Peter, giving Solomon another deep long look, "that name would best suit his personality I think."
Those deep long stares unnerved Solomon.
This old man surely knew something about him and Solomon was desperate to get some answers.