Cosmic Eggs?
Sun Wukong came out of a stone egg. There's got to be some kind of connection. But eggs have been a symbol of power forever.
"These aren't dragons' eggs, are they?" I ask, thinking of all the D&D-style movies, books, and TV shows I've seen, not to mention the game apps where you can hatch dragons and collect them all and make them fight.
Athena shakes her head. "They can hatch life and death, just like dragons' eggs, but there are no babies inside them."
Daji folds her arms. "You can use that pretty rock you're holding as a paperweight, or you can harness its power."
"What does it do?" I ask.
Its humming is so sharp I can't even think. Like Thor's hammer striking my brain over and over again. I have to use it. That's what power-ups are for.
"It will remake this inn into what YOU want," Daji purrs.
"You mean renovate it?"
"In a manner of speaking," she says with a smirk.
I have a lot of changes I'd like to make. I haven't dared, because this place meant so much to my grandparents, obviously. I don't want to ruin it. It feels special.
Athena folds her arms, and a lock of hair tumbles into her eyes. I can feel her restlessness. It's palpable. "It can't remake this inn!"
"Who has been the Wendigo's loyal secretary for centuries?" Daji retorts. "I know this collection better than you do."
Whom to believe?
Neither of them told me the truth about the inn for three months. Do I believe anything either of them says? On the other hand, I've been acting as if I'm Team Athena.
Team Daji might be one that could get me killed—or eternally damned. Even her own uncle hasn't tried to strongarm me into being a fan. No one knows your flaws better than family.
Who is telling the truth?
"What can it do, Athena?" I ask. "Tell me straight out. You've been blunt ever since I had my epiphany. Tell me!"
Pausing, Athena taps her foot and has a faraway gaze, as if she's consulting the Oracle of Delphi. After several moments, she finally says, "It's supposed to unlock true sight. Help you make the tough decisions that this inn requires."
"Do I have psychic powers? Jedi mind stuff?" I ask.
"Everyone does," Athena demurs. "You simply need to find the keys to your intuition."
Somehow, I suspect that those are in this collection, too, and Athena's giving me the hint of the century.
Gripping the smooth egg, I concentrate on awakening my ESP. I could have used this power-up three months ago.
The energy surge through my body rattles my bones so hard it feels like an earthquake. My teeth chatter, my eyes roll back in my head, and the room spins. I smell smoke and realize it's coming out of my ears. The sweat soaks my shirt.
I'm falling so fast I don't even have time to cry out.
White light blots out everything and I lose consciousness.
* * * * *
"Vanny."
My grandmother picks me up off the bedroom floor in their house, where I'm lying down after running into a wall. Except there's no wall there. At six, I trip over my own feet and have more skinned knees and elbows than I have any right to. But I'm fairly sure running into invisible walls isn't normal.
"Are you hurt?" Gram Adella asks, holding me. "Let's check you out."
"I'm okay," I mumble, trying to wriggle out of her iron grip. For a grandma, she's strong. "I'm a big boy."
"Of course you are. But I saw you run into nothing."
"Let me go," I mutter. "Leggo! I'm NOT a spaz like the kids say. They call me 'Harry Potter without the scar.' What does that even mean? Everyone loves Harry."
"Don't pay any attention to them. Everyone loves Harry, and people love you."
Gram Adella takes me into the bathroom and rubs some kind of gooey lotion on me. It has a sharp smell I can't identify.
"What is that stuff?"
"It's called Amrita."
I blink. "Is that like the stuff Grampa rubs on his arthritis?"
"Not quite."
"Oh. Where do you get it?"
Her dark eyes twinkle, like stars in a midnight sky. "A friend gave it to me. His name is Tari. Normally, you drink it, but it's too strong for humans, so he made a lotion."
"Wait. Humans? And what was that invisible wall? I know it was there!"
"Just the other dimension saying hello," she says. "Making its presence known. You'll understand someday."
"The other dimension? Like that old show 'The Twilight Zone'?"
"So ahead of its time in so many ways," she says, patting me on the head.
For some reason, I feel sleepy after falling down. Maybe that lotion, that Amrita stuff, is doing something to me. I fall asleep right there on the stool in Gram's bathroom with the pink flowers on the walls.
I'm so tired.
And for some reason, I'm holding something hard and egg-shaped in my hands. It's humming. It's musical.
Something swipes at me with claws. Ouch! Is this a nightmare?
I open my eyes and find myself staring at a cute little fox.
It barks at me, "WAKE UP, HUMAN!"
* * * * *
Adult me opens my eyes, and I stare up into Daji's hungry, adoring eyes. Her hand strokes my hair. I'm lying on the bed in my room, my head in Daji's lap.
"What happened?"
She rolls her eyes, with affection. "Mortals."
I groan as my bones rattle when I stretch. "You're not kidding. Did the world end?"
"HONESTLY. You humans think in black and white."
"It's not humans that created the Apocalypse, Ragnarok, and every other doomsday scenario." I flush, feeling comfortable and naughty at the same time with her surrounding me. "We are, however, pretty good at disasters."
"And yet you survive," she purrs. "You outlasted your encounter with a Cosmic Egg and unlocked a memory. So, you've been dosed with Amrita, hmm? That changes things." Her silky touch feathers over my body. "Who knows—you might even survive ME."
She leans down and kisses me hungrily.