"Mom where are we?" Utah looks up to his dear mom, while his brothers Unah and Urah hold his hands to keep him close to them so that he doesn't slip from their hands. He looks around the verdant surroundings, rich in tall and strong green trees with ripe fruits. The atmosphere is fresh, the grass is misty and green. The only sound he hears is birds chirping and a whooshing sound of butterflies flying past them. The place was enveloped in beautiful bright and rich colours. It looks different from Neptune, but it seems adaptable. He looks at the birds flying in the sky. These birds are so small, are these baby birds? Maybe they will grow and I will be able to ride them soon. The thought of that warmed his heart and he gave away a warm smile. His brother Unah reads his mind and pat him on his back gently with assurance. As they continue walking at a fast pace trying to keep up with their Mom Atoro, Queen of The Moon and sky. Yes, my mom is a Queen, leading the people of her kind, The blue people. Surprisingly the blue people don't look blue, but instead, they look normal like everyone in Neptune. I don't understand why they call them that.
" I don't understand either" Unah replies with a frown.
"It is because they have blue blood, and..." My brother Urah looks down on me with caring eyes.
"The moon and sky are blue" He further explains.
"Oh..." Unah and I awe in astonishment.
"Kids welcome to our new home" Mother announces in a delighted voice with her slim, tall body held up in confidence. Her lips stretch into a huge warm smile. I watch her eyes well up with tears of joy.
I turn my face towards the front side and my eyes met a beautiful humongous and tall building painted in blue, brown and white; our Nation's colours.
"Our home far away from home. EARTH!"My mother proceeds with her speech.
"Why are we here?" Urah asks in dissatisfaction. He emitted a bad aura and mother turned her face towards him in disapproval and sneers. "You will find out soon" She walks away confidently to the door of the house that is standing on the green land without a fence, leaving us standing there. I for one I am excited to explore this place.
"Whoaaaa! This house is..." Before I could finish my sentence. "Not our home" Urah follows mother in dismay. Utah and I look at each other and shrug our shoulders innocently. What a beauty! We admire and breathe the new air, of Earth. Our home far away from home, as mom says. We walk slowly then start giggling and chasing each other on the green lawn in excitement.
"Boys stop fooling around. Come on in inside. The one who gets in first, will have a separate crystal room, that is theirs". News to my ears. We all run towards the door, but Brother Urah beats us to it. We groan in disappointment and he grins devilishly. Mother takes two small keys and hands out the golden key to Urah and the silver one to Unah and I. Brother Unah takes the key and silly stick out his tongue on us. " Let's go pray and be thankful for our safe trip" Mother instructs us. We go separately to our crystal rooms.
**********
The King is impatiently pacing in the room coated in brown gold. The man in a black and blue cloak with a woman wearing the same attire as he, beside him, patiently look at the King's impatience unveil in their presence.
The woman opens her mouth and speaks softly "Brother Tanarah, Queen Atoro is a very intelligent woman. She's safe" She attempts to reassure the King.
The King walk towards the woman in a blue and black cloak. "If she was safe, why is she out of my radar," He interrogates her daringly in an intense voice.
"Because she does not want you to discover her and the kids" She replies peering into the King's eyes. The King flung his stick towards the wall and the window on the wall shatters into pieces.
"If my family is dead, it is on you. You failed to be a good sister and made her feel like an alien that she had to flee for her life. If she dies and no one survives, I am sending you to hell without a trial" The King intimidates the Lady in a cloak. She sneers at the king's words. "Be my guest. I am not the one who is her husband" She walks away from the two men.
The King turns towards the man in a black and blue cloak. "My friend, I entrusted you with my dear Sister Rose, please help me find my soul mate and children" The king conveys an empathetic look. "Brother Tanarah. I am doing everything in my might, but your bawling and tantrums are not of assistance to me at this moment. Maintain your throne. Your family is safe and well kept, I assure you. The space shuttle that she used to zap her transportation had enough supplies to maintain life support" The man assures the King.
"I heard that Rabanne, but what if she zapped into Mars...That place is inhibited, how long will they live?" He expresses his concern.
"If that is so, then we would have to prepare for mourning" The man in the cloak walks away from the King in unhurried motion emitting a dark silhouette; leaving the King dejected. The King rests his heavy body on his Kingship chair. He looks up and murmurs words like he is making a prayer. Why did she flee? Did he fail as a husband and father? But he is a good king. Is that why she fled because he never made enough quality time for the family. Queen Atoro loves creating a scene, if only she had shared her sorrows and troubles, he would have attended to them and strived his best to do as she requests of him. He releases a heavy sigh.
*******
On Earth
I walk out of the crystal room and lean against the stairs gazing at the centre of the ground floor of the house. I inhale the scented aroma that my mom is emitting from her fresh bouquet of roses. She loves roses. Roses...my Aunt Rose, I miss her. A fuzz feeling pierces into my heart.
"Utah!!!" Mom yells my name from the rooftop of her chest. "Stop missing your Aunt or else this little garden of Eden will be discovered" She continues yelling across the floor. What? What is she talking about? Who is Eden who was honoured by naming our new home after the person? Mom can be a stranger to me at times, uttering things that I have never heard of in my lifetime. Does she know I am still a child?
"You are not a child you just behave like one. It is time to own up and start learning adult ways" My mom whispers behind me swirling the rose aroma around me. I just frown at her with confusion. Who's this woman, definitely not my mom? I pinch her leg to check if indeed she was not from the shape-shifting zombie tribe. Mom winces in pretence. "That hurts my heart" She pretends to be hurt. I look at her warmly then give her a warm hug. I love her. She slowly lets down one arm around my child boy body.
"Hugs won't explain our sudden relocation" Brother Urah walks in on us with a disdained face. Why does he have to act uptight all time?
"Because you were no longer safe" she answers while walking away murmuring some words.
"Is it because of the war and rebels?" Utah raises his voices so that his mom hear him in a distance. She continues with her chanting avoiding the question. Utah looks at his mom with curiosity. It's either that or it's Father or Auntie Rose. When he snaps from his world, he finds himself alone. He looks at the centre of the house which was just a vacuum space. That looks dull, at least they should set a table in that space so that it looks homely. Right now, he feels like he's in a spacious guest building for few nights and can't wait to go back home. Home...His father crosses his mind but pushes the thought away. He's not supposed to think of his Father or they will be able to locate them. Let me walk around and admire this new environment. It might be our new home if the war has broken up. He runs down the steps to energise himself. He walks out of the house and sees his brothers lying on the lawn. He walks towards them. They create space and he lies by them. They gaze at the sky seeing the clouds pretending to move around.
"Is it possible to move the sky?" I ask brother Urah, a man of wisdom.
"I don't know if we have inherited that gene. I have never tempted using that ability " Urah answers thoughtfully.
"Even if we did possess the ability, I don't think it would work here... let us test the idea" Suggests Unah excitedly.
"No. We can't use them. We should behave like the Earth habitats, the Earthers. Some beings that don't possess special abilities" Unah explains holding back his words. That is the main reason, but also because we are in hiding from our family and people. Sadness overwhelms him filling his eyes with tears.
They look at Urah in empathy. "Don't cry, we don't have to do it. It was an idea" I soothe him. He releases an awkward smile.
" So what should we do to pass the time? We are in an alien country. Let's explore" Unah straightens his tall body up. I jolt myself up too. Utah groans and jerks his body up too. We look at the verdant vast place. We walk into the green surroundings and disappear in them.
*
I marvel to myself, but I have concluded that no one is aware that I can hear all their voices despite their protective spell. But this ability comes with its a burden, hearing the secrets and having to put on a pretence of a happy, gullible, naive and unknowing child in the house. I need to figure a plan to shut these voices off without suspicion from anyone. No one should discover that I know more than they believe I do and they only hear what I want them to.
I walk jolly side by side with my brothers into the refreshing green surroundings as we disappear into them.