The Gift
Richard's SF Intro, Part 4
copyright comidacomida 2018
Balam, who hadn't left my side, motioned for me to follow, speaking in Spanish. "Richard. Come with me. We go."
I looked back at the Gryphon, the Wolf, then the Jaguar and I realized I was in over my head and followed Balam out to safety. It wasn't that I didn't want to help, or that I was more afraid for my own life than the possible harm that could come to those willing to defend me, but it was a simple matter of fact: whatever those octopi things were, I couldn't hurt them on my own. I couldn't help Jack and Treboada; I was a liability.
Having been to Portland only once or twice (and never for medical reasons) I was completely unfamiliar with the hospital but fortunately Balam seemed to have no trouble finding his way around. The Jaguar moved with purpose, leading me down two different hallways before I was out in the common area; at that moment I realized I was still in my hospital gown. He looked back at me when I stopped. "Richard. We go. Come."
There wasn't really a good way to explain what thoughts were going through my mind, at least not in a way I could convey in Spanish and hope to have him understand it. I tried simply, speaking quietly so as not to arouse further attention of people who were already staring at me. I pulled at my gown as I spoke under my breath. "No. These clothes are not good."
Balam looked me up and down, then turned to look at everyone else who was paying attention. He sighed. "Clothes bad. Death very bad."
He was eloquent in his explanation despite using less words than I did; I completely understood his point. Smiling sheepishly, I walked past the nearest group of people, pulling my gown closed in the back as I offered the only excuse I could think of. "My folks forgot to bring me a change of clothes."
The crowd of attention only grew and, to my dismay, more than one person had a cell phone. I breathed "Oh no..."
Balam glanced at me and, whether he could understand the English expression of concern or not, I had a feeling he knew the basics. Whether my expression or tone tipped him off, the Jaguar came to a stop and closed his eyes, pulling his paws in close to his chest as all of his markings began to glow again with the same bluish-green light when he had done his strange magic in the hospital room. He intoned something in that language of his which I couldn't understand; it was mumbled so quietly I wasn't really able to hear it, not that it would have helped.
A moment later there was a burst of energy that, surprisingly, destroyed no windows and had no tangible feel; even as the shockwave passed through everyone and everything in the hospital lobby nobody seemed to even realize it had happened... except for me. I felt a tingle as it flowed through me, like a cold breeze on an otherwise warm day. A moment later all of the lights in the lobby went out and people immediately began objecting about the status of their cell phones. It only took a moment for me to realize that whatever Balam had done caused a complete electronic failure on the first floor. It was a messy escape, but it was a successful one.
* * * * *
My folks visited me a day later back at my apartment in Cherry City; my mom, as with the night of my release from the hospital was still worried about me. My dad, on the other hand, seemed completely relaxed as he handed me the personal effects I'd left behind. The trip back from the hospital had involved a cab, which was far more expensive than I would have liked, but it was the only way I was able to get home without having some kind of payment method on the spot. As it was, I had to tip the guy too so he wouldn't cause any trouble for me.
The family time was okay, I guess, but my little apartment wasn't ideal for guests so it was fortunately a short visit. In addition to my belongings, an interesting side-effect of my mom and dad was that Jack and Treboada had hitched a ride with them in the back seat of the car; they never knew, of course. It was a strange reunion with strangers who felt more like friends... or perhaps friends who felt more like strangers. Everyone was thankfully silent until my folks left, and that was when the chaos began anew.
Balam, after having helped keeping my escape from going up on youtube had been exhausted, and he had essentially said and done nothing since I'd gotten into the taxi. By the time I'd arrived home early in the morning the Jaguar was half-walking and half-floating along the ground, almost see-through. He'd recovered somewhat during the following day, but he said nothing until my parents left. "Richard. You are important to all of us. I will stay here. I think they will stay too."
Jack was immediately questioning me about what Balam and I had done during his time in my apartment; he indicated that he knew I must have invited him in because spirits couldn't enter a mortal's domicile without permission. Treboada, who had been flopped out on the sofa with his on one of the arm rests for my parents' entire visit continued to maintain his place lazing with vigor as he encouraged Jack to relax. In his words, he suggested "Th' ket did fine wit' th' bae... We be here now, the bae's saef, an' that's all what mattars, berd."
Now, when I say my apartment's small, I mean REALLY small. I already said that it wasn't ideal for guests, and that's assuming they're human sized ones. Balam was about normal for a human, but the Wolf and the Gryphon were each somewhat bigger. Regardless, as Jack mulled about I realized that there was one big difference between human guests and spirits: the floor plan was limited due to interior walls, but that didn't slow spirits down in the least. Jack, during my brief discussion with Balam, had walked the length and width of my apartment without any regard for the walls except those that indicated the end of my appointed space.
He looked to me as if completely ignoring the Wolf's statement. "Richard, thy life had been in danger at the hospital. The spirits after thee are known by many names, but they seek to steal the life essence from mortals. They pose little threat to most, as few spirits can affect mortals who know not that spirits are all around them, but they greedily and freely attack those who can see them, as those humans can be affected by them - now that thou art a Seer, Richard, this includes thee."
It was a severe warning, and had me worried immediately. "So... they could follow me here, do you think?"
Balam, who could not follow the conversation in English, had insight nevertheless, questioning me in Spanish. "He talks about the Aluxo'ob, yes?"
Although I didn't understand the meaning of the Mayan word, something about it conjured up the image of those black octopi spirits, and I knew that my answer was correct, and I formulated a response, tripping over the right words with a less-than-stellar grasp of my second language "Yes. I'm worried that they can follow me here."
The Jaguar shook his head. "No. Aluxo'ob cannot enter here. You do not say yes-- they no enter."
Did they follow the same rules as Jack and Treboada? Could those things really not come into my apartment if I didn't let them? I looked to the Gryphon and the Wolf, returning to my much more comfortable native English. "Balam says that they can't come in here if I don't invite them... is that right?"
Treboada's "Aye. Yeh be safe fer nao, boy-o." wasn't nearly as reassuring as Jack's much more in depth statement.
The Gryphon finally stopped stomping around and walking through walls as he turned to regard me. Although he used a different word for the octopi, I got the same intense feeling of understanding as when Balam had used his own one. "I have faced the Nihili before, Richard. You need not fear, as they do not hunt their prey-- they are creatures of opportunity, and they dwell in and around places where humans weak with injury or sickness dwell. They absorb spirit energy of the suffering and those in pain. Thou didst attract their attention only because thou hath the ability to see them-- The Gift, as granted by the savage."
I followed Jack's outstretched talon digit to where it pointed at Balam. The Jaguar remained seated on the kitchen counter, a distance apart from the other two spirits who were with me in the living room-- the entire apartment wasn't that large, so we were all able to speak without shouting regardless. Watching the Gryphon's mannerisms, Balam obviously understood that he was the new topic of discussion. "What did he say?"
Once again I was forced to consider my words as I picked my way through Spanish. "He said you gave me a gift."
The word for 'gift' in Spanish is 'regalo' but, for some reason, it didn't feel completely right-- not in the way it sounded when Jack spoke it. Balam said as much with his own explanation. "No recibio un regalo-- recibio 'The Gift'..."
Everything he spoke was in Spanish... he'd said that I didn't receive a gift, I received 'The Gift' and, for some reason what I couldn't hear with my ears, I heard differently in my head. I repeated them to myself. "The Gift."
In response, I got a chorus of "Aye.", "Yes,", and "Si." in unison.
It was a rather strange first lesson in the ways of the spirits-- one of many that would occupy my time for the remaining week before classes started. My life would only get more complicated when college began, but, before that, I still had one more spirit to meet, and SHE would REALLY change things up.
Well, keep in mind that this is Richard telling the story in first person past tense-- it has all already happened to him, so, as the narrator, he already knows what's coming. ;)
For Treboada: "Black Wolf's" Inn by Derek Fiechter.
For Balam...that's a tough one. I'm going to say "The Arena" by Lyndsey Sterling.
I like a lot of instrumwntal music if you can't tell. ^_^ Hope they do too!
Lindsey Sterling doe some amazing violin work.