While we were talking with the old man, he offered us some drinks and we went to a nearby small cafe. It was a small cute space that gave you a feel at home. It had an area with a soft carpet laid down with fluffy cushions on top. You could sit or even lay down there. We ordered some drinks and got to know that the man's name was Diablo.
Diablo was really fun to talk to and he was in his 70s. We introduced ourselves to him and talked about more stuff in this town. Apparently, this town has no museum but there is a big town library. This town is also the childhood home of a famous celebrity in this world.
It is weird how this is a town but it's called State A. Guess things work differently here. We talk more and I think about inconspicuously asking him about the origin of this world. I have to clearly think before approaching though. We can't have him being suspicious of us.
"What are your hobbies, Diablo?" I ask
"Hm.. I like reading and just learning you know. Quite boring, I would say"
"Agreed " is what I wanted to say but I didn't, dude I hate reading.
"What do you like to read the most about?" Autumn further asks
"Well, I read fiction but other than that I also read articles about various topics, I have also studied world history." Bingo! Here is my chance to drive the conversation now!
"Oh wow. Along with studying political movements around the world and other stuff, did you also study about like.. world origins? I carefully ask.
He looks at me for a while before looking off into space and then replying
"Yeah. I have read a number of theories and possibilities. But most of them are legends cause they haven't been really proven but considering the mysterious factors and experiences that people have encountered, I would say the legends do have accountability."
"Can you tell us those?" Autumn asks
He looks at us baffled.
"Why? This is like every household story. Your parents never told you?" He asks us clearly surprised and unbelieving.
"Our parents are realists. If what you are saying are legends, I am sure they would have never told them to us." I quickly defend. I just hope he buys this lame excuse.
He still seems to be apprehensive of us but nonetheless decided to tell us.
"I guess modern parents now don't give a care about those stories!" He says
"What are you talking about?' I am getting restless now. why doesn't he just say it?
"Fine, listen carefully then."
"It is said that Kwangya is connected through a door, or some large portal to some other world. Our ancestors, millions of years ago came from there to here. Why or how they came here and where the connecting portal to the two worlds lie is something that we don't know. They settled down here and established a civilisation. They were super knowledgeable. like they knew sciences and technology. They took no time to develop this world, it is said that Kwangya is very similar to the place where they came from, however, it is more mysterious and exotic! It has elements that even they didn't understand."
Autumn and I were just concentrating on his words and never broke eye contact with him. The portal to Kwangya had already been opened once! Was it Felix that time too? No, it can't be, he didn't have the agency back then to open it! No wonder these people feel like one of us! We are the same humanity!
"What kind of elements?" Autumn enquires.
"Mysterious phenomenon that would happen. We have all observed them, at least I have".
He got serious with every minute that he talked. His eyes get sharper and I knew at that moment that nothing he said was false.
"Things like places suddenly disappearing, that specific lake water suddenly healing your wounds."
"We don't understand" Autumn and I say at the same time!
He interlocks his fingers and puts his elbows on the table and continues talking.
"Once I found an orchard, somewhere near a waterfall! It was beautiful and just green! I saw it on the map too! But the next time when I went to look for it, it... was just not there! I could not even see it on the map!"
He holds his hair in frustration and anger and Autumn and I just shared looks. We didn't know how to respond.
"I know you must be thinking that I am hallucinating or something and that I need help but believe me when I say that it was real! There have been other instances too! Once one of my friends got badly injured during a hiking trip, he used the water of some nearby lake to wash it and his wound healed within seconds in front of his eyes. However, soon after when somebody else from his friend group got injured too and tried that lake's water, nothing happened! We just don't know anything anymore. Ther keep on happening these small but weird occurrences."
Diablo was kinda scaring me. I mean this much information all at once. If he would have told me all this back on Earth, I would have definitely suggested him to seek a therapist, but I am here too, am I not, in a completely different world, unless I am dreaming? I believe that anything and everything can happen in Kwangya.
"Is that magic?" Autumn asks
"I don't know but I am sure that the other world exists"
We both start to ask how but he cuts us-
"My best friend went there and never came back."
"What?" I say
He looks down at the table and says
"My best friend, Josh was always an adventurous guy and an explorer. He was committed to finding the portal, he set on the journey and never came back. He just went missing."
It was getting really spooky just listening to him talking then. I even started sweating a little with a frown on my forehead.
"How are you so sure that he went to Earth and didn't die accidentally?" Autumn quips.
Diablo gives her a sharp look.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I know he is your best friend but what I mean to say is that how are you so sure about him reaching there and never coming back?"
"Cause...my wife is from that other world, they call it Earth."
I.. was shocked, it felt like a strong wind hit my face. He knew about our world! I quickly concealed my expression.
"I am not sure if Josh really went to Earth but I can't bare the thought of him dying, hence I would like to believe that he just went there and one day... would come back." He said with a sorrowful face.
"Your wife? I.. don't understand" I say, looking puzzled.
"She didn't tell me that until Josh went missing. I was unaware of this fact for most of our time together. When Josh went missing, I was devastated and wretched. That is when she told me the possibility of him maybe going to Earth, I said those are just myths, that is when she told me! Of course, I didn't believe her but she told me a lot of things about her previous life. Told me names of countries and other stuff, I find it hard to believe that she made all that up."
"How did she come here?"
"She has never told me. Every time that I would ask, she would get evasive. Then I stopped asking altogether."
"Why are you telling us this all?" I whisper.
He gives me a pitiful smile and says
"I guess it was all in me and I just wanted to rant out, secondly I know you would not even believe it. Nobody does. They all think it is some psychological issue that I am having where I am making up stories so I don't really care."
This man knows too much! It is true, old people have a lot of accumulated observations. I don't know if I can trust Diablo but in order to get more out of him, I have to do it.
"You are not mad, Diablo. Earth exists and we both came to Kwangya from there."
I see two shocked faces looking at me. One of pure shock and unbelieving, the other giving me the looks of"are you in your right mind? What do you think you are doing?" Sorry Autumn. There is no going back now.