As Tokyo and I made our way to a pebble-made path, we passed by a crest gate entwined with vines on top of moss with little butter flowers. And just across was a farm with all sorts of cows, horses, chickens, including a dog. It truly did feel as though I traveled back in time. Somewhere inside of me felt fuzzy and happy, as if… I haven't felt this way in a long time.
"We're almost there! Oh I'm so excited to show you EVERYWHERE!" Tokyo said with enthusiasm.
"And, I hope that everyone is just as welcoming as you." I replied.
About 17 minutes later we arrived at a big castle-like gate that was guarded by guards with shiny fine silver with trims of gold coloring. They had their swords standing down with one hand on top of the pommel, and on the other hand, holding on a shield. The guard on the right had a crest of a hydrangea and the other had a crest of a woman's face.
Tokyo skipped along, entering through the gates of his town before my foot could even reach the wood-made gate which was held by chains at each upper corner. But as of now it was currently laying flat on the ground to welcome people in. As I arrived towards the entrance, two guards had stopped me in my tracks, placing their swords in the space between them forming a x in front of my face, keeping away from Tokyo unintentionally.
"Ma'am, for security reasons I'm gonna have to see your Cymtin card or even a pass registering you to this part of the land." The hydrangea guard implied.
I was confused and did not know what he asked of me.
"A Cymtin? Is that like an identification card?"
The guard looked at me as though I was pulling their leg.
"Okay. Look here, ma'am. Just because you're a woman and all, you can't act this dumb and think you can fool us. Even a 2-year-old knows what a Cymtin card is regardless of race and country."
"Then how do I get one?"
The guards both looked at each other then the guard with the lady on its shield kneeled in front of Tokyo.
"Hey Toto, where did you pick her up from?"
Tokyo looked at me, taking a moment to answer the guards.
"She's a traveler for the Capital of Gyphrer (Guy-free-rr), she is said to be a redemptive knight of the previous king."
The guards looked astonished. Immediately they went back to their formation with a salute.
"Forgive us, ma'am, if you had told us from the beginning we would have never shown such discourtesy. I welcome you to the Everglaster Kingdom and Cap Counter Town under the provision of the ruler of Flownzque (flown-s-queue), King Capardio De Volderake."
I was confused but followed Tokyo's lead.
"You needn't be so troubled, I come with great fatigue and am in need of rest."
The hydrangea knight then replied, "Ma'am, there is plenty of room and food to share, please we insist that you stay."
Tokyo and I passed the guards and just as we were about to enter the heart of the town, I grabbed Tokyo and hid in the nearest alley.
"Tokyo, you are sweet and kind but I must tell you now that I am not familiar with the world's culture."
Tokyo's eyes then gleamed and his hands then pointed at me.
"I knew you weren't from here! You were just way too suspicious. Why did you lie to me? Do you know just how bad of a liar you are?"
"Tokyo, you must understand that my circumstances aren't normal, you can't just expect me to say 'Oh me! Yeah, I'm actually from a different world'. I did not know that my scenario was not strange, however is it not still uncommon? That's just gonna turn me into a suspect or even a guinea pig for a mad scientist."
"Fair point. I have heard stories about people who came from other worlds. Oh boy! To think I found an actual person that came from another world, myself, is epic!"
"Thank you for your help with filling me in, including navigating me through these parts of land, but I do not appreciate being treated as a mere object. I still need to learn a lot more about this world if I want to survive, can you start out by telling me about the knight thing that you told to those guards?"
Let alone to learn I'm not the only one that is going through this changes everything…
Tokyo looked at me and then smiled.
"I don't need to, I can just show you."
I looked at him as if he were crazy. "How?"
"Well~ Every year a group of people come to the town's festival and perform a show for the kids explaining some history before they enter their first year of school. They say the more advanced you are in your levels, they could even tell you some secrets about the history– but that's rare."
"Great! Where is it held?" I asked with enthusiasm.
"About 3 or 2 months from now, at the cathedral."
"H-huh… the cathedral…" I said as my voice grew dimmer and quieter.
Tokyo looked at me with concern, "Is there a problem?"
I looked at him quickly and smiled. "Huh, what– oh no! I'm fine… I… I just thought I remembered something about cathedrals back at home."
"Oh, Okay!"
I held his hand to reassure him that I was fine and said, "Let us get to the town square, shall we good sir?"
In my stomach, I couldn't quite get that sick feeling out, as though I had a bad connection with cathedrals and somehow tied to a deep dark place in my mind.
We walked past the busy sites and crowds of people getting ready for tomorrow's festival. It looks amazing and so uplifting, that I have no other words to describe it.
But what I didn't know was that past all the beauty and glorious things there was a section of town that was still suffering and poor. This very site made me remember that no matter where you are, they're always someone in a difficult situation… always.
"I know that my part of town looks dangerous, but it's not if we chose it to be this way. After a certain point we just had to start living up to the others' expectations of us." Tokyo continues, as he seems a little disheartened "We call these parts of town the slumps, where all the misfortunate are thrown and all the burdens are born."
To hear a child say that to me was very depressing. It could have made anyone wonder 'What did this child have to go through to sound like this'? And little did I discover, he had to learn the real side to reality quickly if he truly desired to help his sickly mother.
#3 What it means to be a child —
"Honey, you are but a baby." An old voice slowly whispers near my ear.
"But grandma I don't want to be! Children can't help with anything!" A young girl whines.
"Ha ha ha" a crackling yet tender laugh that made me feel warm.
"A child can do everything an adult can't do and an adult can do everything a child can't do, but what makes them so different is the capability they have."
"Really, what is it? What is it!" The young child eagerly imploded.
"A child can adapt very quickly and grow very fast, but an adult has difficulty adapting and cannot grow no more than a rock walking. But I think that the biggest help a child can give, unintentionally, is love." The old euphonious voice said.
"But that's nothing… I want to do more for you grandma, you're sick!" the young voice cried in great sorrow.
"Now, now, don't shout and be upset young one, you are doing plenty. Plus the reason as to why the best thing a child can give is love is because all they do is lovable and all they are is love. So, if a child never does so then they are hurt; this requires we adults along with you children to help those who are hurt. Okay?"
The old euphonious voice then had a faint image of pale peach human skin with rosy pink cheeks and wrinkles that seemed soft yet defined, along with thin crepe pink colored lips, smiling.
" 'kay!" The child gladly replied
When the memory came to a close I came back to my senses and touched my cheek to see what was trickling down to my chin.
"T-tears?" I mumbled to myself
The tears felt cold and empty but for some reason, my chest slowly began to ache as though the pain was mine. I found it ridiculous honestly, because I felt no connection to my previous life and no longer truly remember how it was. My body however reacts and believes that I am still the same person from before, causing a war within my body, when I do not want to be that person from before; hoping to not remember and wishing to restart my life due to the fear of being corrupted with pain that I am still not sure is existent. Those tears belong to a foreign soul that still resonates within me– lingering like a roach. The pain of the girl I once called "me" at the mirrors in her parents' house? Yes. I am not in denial, for what I think is already a reality…
I quickly wiped the remaining liquid off my face and under my eyelid.
"We're here!" Tokyo said, presenting a run-down house as tall as a shed but as big as an average living room merged with a dining room.
"Shall we?" I said as I extended my hand to hold his.
Tokyo's face lit up a little as he saw I did not judge him or ask any questions of his parents. He grabbed my hand and scurried us into the house.
When the door opened I saw partials of dust floating near the sun's ray reflecting out of the window. Near that window was a floating shelf with a vase full of dead flowers; the same flowers we held in our hands.
We walked in and I closed the door behind me as Tokyo quickly ran up towards the shelf, setting down the flowers gently on it then carrying the vase down to the floor. Tokyo started to hum a sweet symphony while changing the flowers and setting the vase back in place. And I just sat there after throwing out the old flowers.
"All done!" Tokyo said with great joy.
"All done," I repeated.
Cough cough. I flinch, turning around behind me to a big dirty white curtain hanging on the rigid shamrock green canopy bed.
"Who's there?" I said aggressively, holding out one hand to slowly tug Tokyo behind me.
However, Tokyo gently brushed my hand and said in a soft wavering voice, "That's my mama, it's okay…"
I quickly placed my guard down to not scare the women. I mean if you look at it; it should have been her to say who's there.
Tokyo approached the bed as I followed behind him at a good enough distance to give them space.
"Hi Mama, are you up?" Tokyo's tone changed and sounded like a father taking care of their sickly child.
"M-my cough cough cough dear, are you there." The woman then desperately reached out her hand to touch her son's warm light colored burgundy mix with amaranth cheeks, but ended up touching his forehead, gliding down to then touch his ever-so-sweet cheeks.
"Oh, my baby. I'm so sorry you have to cough s-see me like this. I'm so sor-ry that I can't cough cough cough provide for your needs." Then tears slowly started to trickle down her face and her complexion seemed paler, but… as much as it hurt, I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she was. 'Imagine if she was healthy' I wondered to myself, and it went on and on until I said 'Imagine if they were both healthy, fine, and happy?'
All I could do was think 'What if'.
"What if I could do something"
Tokyo seemed already used to this, as if she says this every time she greets him.
"It's okay mama, you're sick, and sick people should rest to be healthy. Plus I brought you new flowers" his voice started to cheer up, "and I brought a friend with me, a knight, named Alice Knight who came from a faraway place."
Tokyo then grabbed my hand, dragged me near his mother and told me to kneel so she could feel me.
"Wh-what? Tokyo, you be- cough cough better not to bring strangers!"
"B-but Mama, she helped me pick flowers for you and walked me home…"
The woman seemed concerned but didn't want to make Tokyo upset, so she slowly turned her head toward my direction and then squinted her eyes to try to see me better.
"A girl?" she said in a soothing curious manner.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied.
"Hmmm… you seem very different from a knight if I do say so myself." She chuckled.
I smiled and said, "Well I am new to this whole ordeal."
"As it seems," she said as she started reaching for my face, hesitant to see if I would refuse.
I grabbed her hand and she flinched.
"Allow me," I told her in reassurance.
I swiftly placed her cold fragile hand on my rosy cheeks as she had placed on her son.
Her middle and index finger traced my nose bridge then went up and traced my eyes. It was so obvious but, I could tell that she wasn't blind; nevertheless you could tell her eyes couldn't see.
She placed her hand behind my head bringing me closer towards hers and whispered in my ear saying, "I can tell that you're a fighter. As you can see, I'm not currently strong, but I can see that you're both kind and fierce, so please protect my child."
I pulled my head away from her and took a look at her face. It looked as though somebody had stripped her pride. I could hear her desperate requests screaming for someone to answer. I could see a loving mother having difficulty letting go of her child so he doesn't feel the hurt and loneliness of a sickly mother fading into the arms of Blessing. I could feel pain seeping through everywhere, fragile in me; it hurts. It hurts even more when it is you that is experiencing the pain.
I whispered back, "Ma'am… I will always look after this child, even if you haven't asked me to, so don't stress any longer; try to rest."
She cried silently with a smile on her face that brought back warmth and color. "Cough cough, thank you, thank you so much. Maybe now I can rest with ease."
I gave a sad smile.
After that short talk, I cooked corn porridge mixed with chopped ham for dinner. And since there was only one bed we all slept on that bed together as the mother told us a bedtime story.
I was happy to see her feeling better and even more happier for Tokyo and his mother to like me so quickly, but it felt so weird to have her trust so easily.
…it made me feel really fuzzy inside.
…I think that this is what it truly means to be a mother.