Adam entered the village and it was unlike anything he had ever seen.
It wasn't a village at all but rather a whole new world. The skies were different and so was the soil. He saw a huge building made of bricks.
A man approached him and tapped on his shoulder.
"After 30 years I'm still not use to it. I remember having a similar face when I found out magic was real. You're new here?"
"Where am I?"
"Wait."
The man said and took a pill and gave Adam one.
"Now we can understand each other."
"I don't know why you are hiding but let me go, I won't tell anyone about you."
"What are you going on about. You came here because you want something and you can't leave until you get it. Come with me."
He followed the man into the building where he was taking to a room.
"A new resident, thanks for bringing him Mr Scott."
A woman sitting behind said.
Adam sat down and got up again. The chair was so soft he thought he sat on something.
"You can sit down. I am Principal, I am kind of the caretaker of this place. This place has many name to many people, but to everyone it's a place to achieve your greatest desire. No one knows what this place is, but once awhile people are transported here. Please stay within the boundaries of this place. Wonder off and you may be lost forever."
"I am Adam."
The Principal pressed a button and someone opened the door. Adam turned and screamed.
"Manticore!"
He put his hand on his waist and realize he had no sword.
"Calm down, this is Carwl he will show you to your room."
"Hi, nice to meet you."
A red half man half bull said as he waved at Adam. He slowly got up and walked towards Carwl. Who lead the way to a room.
"There is a bathroom, you have a TV and some books incase you get bored. There are more books in the library if you are into that. Meals are served in the common rooms. You will here a chime if there is a meal to be had. Any questions?"
"Yes, what is a TV?"
"That is a TV."
Carwl pointed at a glass hanging on the wall. After Adam still had a confused look on his face. He picked up a remote and turned it on.
"There are some weird channels we get but there are some good stuff too. I'll let you get settled in."
After Carwl left Adam switched channels for hours. After awhile he got bored and got out to explore the place. People were going and coming, everyone looked busy when he got to the halls. Down the hall was a room where no one entered or left. He slowly walked towards the door until someone grabbed his hand.
"Mr Scott."
Adam said and he shook his head.
"You don't want to go there, what ever he is trying to create is dangerous. That room protect us from whatever he is doing."
"Who's room is that?"
"No one has seen him, those who have won't talk about him. There are rumours he has been here for 500 years. He doesn't even come out to eat."
"Wait 500 years, he may be long dead."
"You might be right but no one is willing to check. Why are you here, what are you dying to know?"
"How to leave."
"Me unified field theory, I want to solve it. It's been 70 years and I am no where close. Some people are here for even more ridiculous stuff. Like that woman, she wants to be able to get pregnant."
"Why is that ridiculous, I know women who will give anything to have children."
"That's not the ridiculous part, she want to do it alone. Like without a mans help. Even Mary had a mans help."
"Who's Mary?"
"Mary, mother of Jesus, impregnated by the Holy Spirit. I sometimes forget some people are not from my world."
Scott walked away. Adam went behind the building where there was garden. He looked up and saw plants, in all shapes and sizes. As he watched he saw meteoroids fall onto one of the planets.
Someone walked into the garden and Adam turned around. He saw it was the woman Scott talked about.
"I'm really sorry."
She said and turned around.
"It's okay, you can stay."
The woman knelt and sniffed the flowers in the garden.
"It's beautiful right?"
"Yes."
Adam turned and saw she was talking about the flowers.
"The planets are also beautiful."
"They look so close I feel like I can touch it."
Adam put out two fingers and tried to fit a planet between it. Suddenly the planet started to break. He quickly put his hand down.
"Did you do that?"
"Of course not, the meteoroids might have destroyed it."
"It's fine, some have done worse. Is that what you are here to learn?"
"Actually, I want to get rid of it. All it does is bring about death and destruction. As you have seen."
"I'm sure you have heard why I'm here. It may sound stupid but I have my reasons."
"No, I heard Mary did it with the help of a Holy Spirit."
"I don't want to be like Mary."
"That's fine, I don't know who she is ."
"I have to get back to it, nice to meet you…"
"It's Adam."
"Nice to meet you Adam, I'm silhouette."
Adam and Silhouette met at the garden everyday after they met. They talked about their progress on achieving their goals and the future they wished for. One day Silhouette mentioned how long she has been there.
"You have been here for a 150 years, so the number of years are actually years?"
"Yes, no one grows here. Well, unless what you are trying to learn is to grow."
"Okay but your husband will grow, everyone out there will be dead."
"No you can leave the exact time you got here, so it's like you never left."
"You must really love him."
"…Yes"
After Silhouette left in a hurry. Adam wondered he said to scare her away. Adam did not see Silhouette for a week, they had talk to each other everyday for 50 years. He decided to check on her. He went to her place and knocked on her door.
"What do you want?"
She asked after Adam knocked for the third time.
"I haven't seen you in a week, is everything okay?"
"Yes everything is okay."
"Can you at least open the door and talk to me?"
Silhouette opened the door and Adam walked in.
"What is going on?"
"Nothing I've just been busy with my studies."
"That's not it."
"Okay, when you said I love my husband it made me think."
Silhouette looked at Adam and knew she had to explain further.
"You don't actually know a lot about my past. I got married right after high school. We were so in love we didn't care what anyone said. My husband and I got a job as clerks but I got pregnant a few years later and quit. Or got fired depending on who is narrating the story.
The first two weeks after I gave birth was a disaster. I was always tired, the house was a mess and the baby was always crying. One day I was giving the baby a bath in the tab and I fell asleep. The baby drowned, after that we were never the same.
He became violent and mean. He would rape me and threaten me. After awhile all I wanted was to get pregnant. The doctors said I'm fine but my husband refused to believe he is the problem. We wanted a baby but I couldn't cheat, the only way was to do it on my own. One night I slept and woke up here.
I was so focused on giving my husband a child I forgot how I felt about him. I realised it was out of fear, guilt and self preservation that I stayed. I don't know what to do anymore."
"It's okay, you are fine."
Adam hugged her and immediately she started to cry. She cried uncontrollably for awhile, Adam sat her on the bed. He went to get her something to eat from the cafeteria. When he got back she was sleeping. He put the tray of food on the bedside table. He took off her shoes and positioned her properly on the bed. She grabbed him and kissed him on the lips. After she tried taking off his clothes.
"What about your thing?"
"What thing?"
" Getting pregnant on your own, not having sex."
"I just told you I don't love my husband anymore."
Adam allowed her take off his clothes. The next morning Silhouette screamed Adam awake.
"What's wrong?"
"Get out!"
"What have I done?"
"I told you how important getting pregnant on my own is to me; and you let this happen."
"You said you were doing it for your husband, out of fear and guilt."
"I changed him by killing our child. This was the only chance to save my marriage and you ruined it. Get out I don't want to see you again."
Adam put on his clothes and got out. They didn't speak for fifty years. During that time Adam focused of getting rid off the invisible hand. After years of studying and meditation, he looked in a mirror to see his hair was black again.
He then got back to the exact moment he left. He fell down the mountain and hit his head knocking him unconscious.