"Where have you been for the past 276 years?" Valek asked Uncle Bael.
"Nothing. I have just been visiting some places," Uncle Bael told him.
"It's good to see you again."
"Yeah, me too."
Valek walked towards Uncle Bael to give him a hug, but as soon as he reached out his arms, Uncle Bael turned himself into a cat once again. Valek almost tripped towards the front side.
"You always have to do that?" Valek said while getting into a stable position.
The cat, I mean Uncle Bael, got off the table and leaped behind it, on the ground. He transformed himself back into human form and straightened his robe with his hands to get out the creases.
"You always fall for that one," He said while laughing.
"Yeah, and you never stop doing that."
"I heard you lost your powers. Did my brother give you a hard time?"
"The hardest."
"You know he loves you Valek. He is in the same place you are."
"Yeah, I wish he was."
"Everything will get better with time. I am sorry, who are you?" he asked while looking towards me.
"I'm Linda…Linda Walker," I replied hesitantly.
"Oh, so you are the soul Valek's been helping. Don't tell your real name to anyone out there child there may be spirits looking for you. Death took away Valek's powers, but as always he made a mistake in his anger."
"What mistake uncle?" Valek asked.
"He lost his only way to know where you are. He took away your track too. He can't sense where you are now. Rumors are there that you have been on his list too, by the way."
"If you meet dad you can tell him, he can put Linda and me on any list he wishes, but I will help her and once she gets her life it will all be over."
"Everything is not that simple child. Especially with your powers gone how would you possibly help her?"
"I may not have my powers, but I have this," he said while picking out the paper from his jeans' pocket.
"What is it?" Uncle Bael said while holding the paper in his hands and opening its folds.
He read, whatever was written on it, in his mouth.
"From where did you get this?"
"I did my research and Linda did the practical work. She helped me get it."
"You must be so brave and the keeper didn't even suspect?" Uncle Bael said, looking towards me.
"No, he didn't and thanks. I guess. Given the fact that I had frozen feet at that time."
"You know, if I translate this to you, I would be breaking your father's laws," he said with some hopelessness in his tone.
"Yes, I am aware of that."
There was an awkward silence between them for a while, then they both started laughing.
"Like I never broke them before," Uncle Bael said while laughing.
"So you would help us right. I mean you have to, you are the only one besides my dad who can do this."
"Well of course I would help you, but we need a body before we start doing anything and of course there is the element choosing stage."
"What stage?" I asked Uncle Bael as I had not heard anything like this from Valek before.
"Oh no, it's nothing Linda. You just have to choose your favorite element out of the four mains. There is earth, fire, water and air and that element of your own choosing will represent the personality you obtain in your new life."
"Yeah, and …" Uncle Bael tried to add something when he was interrupted by Valek.
"And we need to be going fast. We don't have much time to lose." He said nervously while giving some weird looks to Uncle Bael.
I didn't understand why he said that nervously, but I didn't give much thought to that either. I was surrounded by more important thoughts at that time. I was going to have a new life soon with a new family and new friends. Maybe I will go to a college and have a small room for myself. I could have parties with my friends and late night talks with my mother.
Along with all these happy thoughts I couldn't get over the fact that I was going to possess another girl's body after she dies. The family I get won't be mine, but hers. How would I adopt the atmosphere around me? Would I ever fit in? What if they don't like me as much as they liked her?
"Don't give much pressure on your timid brain Linda, it's all going to be ok," Valek said.
I don't know how he got to know that but yeah I needed to hear that. This line gave me confidence that I could do great and I will. I will do great.
"How will we find a girl?" I asked.
"I have my list ready,you don't worry about that," Valek said.
"Um Valek? Can I talk with you privately for a minute?" Uncle Bael said in a confused way.
"Sure. We'll be back," Valek said to me.
Both of them went into a small room behind the counter on which Uncle Bael was sitting. I started looking around the shop. There were some fancy hooks and fishing rods there.
"You didn't tell her, did you Valek?"
"Tell her what?"
"About the elements?"
"We don't have to tell her anything about that. Do we?"
"Don't act like a kid, Valek. This is the most important thing for her to know. You know that one day or another she would find out about this. Ever thought of how much problem, it would create in her new life. Do you want her to be unhappy then again?"
"No I am doing this for her. She will get a new life and will enjoy this one to the fullest."
"How can you guarantee that? What if something happens? It is going to show one day or the other and that is the truth."
"It won't. I won't let it."
"So are you going to be her bodyguard? You don't see that you are taking a huge risk here, Valek. It would turn out bad not only for her, but you too."
"I won't let that happen, trust me. And if providing her a new life to live means I have to become a bodyguard then probably I will."
"You are only doing it because of her aren't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"It is because of Dracaena, right?
"It has nothing to do with mother."
"If you say so. You can't hide this from me and you know that. But why would you listen to Uncle Bael anyway?
"You know this is not the thing uncle."
"Let's go outside or she is going to find us suspicious. She is a clever girl, I must tell you."
"I know right. She is made of steel."
Both of them came out of the room a few minutes later.
"Is everything alright?" I asked out of suspicion.
"Yeah, everything's good. We were just discussing our route to find a body for you to have," Uncle Bael replied while looking towards Valek.
"Ok. So where are we going now?" I asked Valek.
"Only 5 girls about the age of 18-20 are going to die today. They all live in your town. We should hurry up and go look for them."
"Why do we need to look at 5 girls? I am going to need a single body."
"I thought you would like to choose what sort of girl you like, you know, make a choice among the families and her overall personality."
"That is weird but still thank you."
"Uncle, tell me the spell now and we would be off," Valek said to Uncle Bael.
"You can't go," Uncle Bael replied.
"What, why?" I asked Uncle.
"I mean you can't go without me. Valek you don't have your powers so you won't be able to perform the initial spell."
He started looking at Valek while raising one of his eyebrows.
"He is right," Valek told me.
"You would have to come with us," he continued while looking at his uncle.
"Oh, you don't plan to walk all the way to your town, now do you?"
Valek and I looked at each other not knowing what Uncle Bael just meant. Especially we did not know that he meant to turn himself into a large invisible dragon for us to ride on. Yeah, that's right. Uncle Bael ran outside the shop that very instant and jumped in the air. Valek and I followed him to see what he planned to do. What happened next was something I had never seen and probably would never see ever again. I was left in awe. My afterlife sure brought a lot of shocking things in front of me.
Uncle Bael transformed himself into a dark bluish shaded dragon with large wings, scaled skin and a large pointed tail behind it.
"I thought he could only turn into a frog or a cat or a white cute rabbit. This is awesome," Valek's eyes brightened up to see his uncle carry out such an amazing trick.
Uncle Bael, whom I would be calling the flying, fire breathing dragon now, landed himself on the ground right in the middle of the street. He placed one of his wings a little low so we could get on them and ride him.
"I am not sure about this Valek," I said with my mouth opened.
"Come on, it is going to be so much fun and besides you wanted an adventure yourself so why not this?"
"My definition of adventure included being in a jungle or diving in the oceans to see its beauty. Not to have a piggy back ride on a dragon."
"Don't be such a baby now Linda, let's go!"
After saying this he walked up the dragon's wing and sat on its back.
"I can't, I really…," I said while moving backwards when the dragon hit his tail slightly behind my back to push me on its wings.
"If I fall off and die once again it's on you," I said while shouting at the dragon. I didn't know if Uncle Bael understood me or not, but the way it ignored me seemed like it wasn't in the mood to listen to me.
I slowly walked upwards the wing, avoiding myself to trip over or fall off.
"Here you can sit in the front and hold his neck. Just don't choke him," Valek left space in the front for me.
"I hope I don't," I said as I steadily walked towards the front side and sat on it.
"Don't worry, it is no different than a sea horse ride."
"Sea horse ride or a horse ride?" I asked. I was almost scared to death once again.
"You'll see now let's fly," Valek said in a much excited way.