Chapter 3: Signs and Symbols

It’s been a year since I came to this world. How do I know? Well, it’s my birthday today! I’ve started shedding too. Yeah, I shed now, but only my extra rock bits are falling off. My rock bits apparently grow better ones slowly. It's like hair... or maybe teeth.

Ever since a few months ago I’ve been getting switched between the living room and the bedroom. I’ve seen most of this house now and I'm sick of it. At first, I was amazed with every piece of technology I saw here. Most of them are half science and half magic.

The black glass pane I saw last time was a window. Instead of blinds, they can darken it as much as they want. I've seen some of the outsides but most of the time it's too dark to see out. Shouldn't babies be exposed to sunlight once in a while? It doesn't look like my skin changed too much though.

There is a TV and it's a long thin white rod on a stand that projects a screen in the air it. There are interesting shows on it but most of them are either news, interviews, or documentaries. There might be movies and other stuff but I don't know. Of course, the remote control is also magic.

The airconditioner-slash-heater is a fireplace shaped thing that has crystal-shaped logs in it. It glows red when it’s a heater, and blue when it’s an air conditioner.

There’s even a Roomba here except it’s hexagon-shaped and is made of other tiny hexagonal Roombas that can spread out and work together. They can even go up walls and the ceiling. Mom puts her hand on it every morning, assumably to turn it on.

I wonder if there’re rock cakes… Oh yeah, I’m a D’varf meaning I’m kinda half rock or something. We need to eat rocks and minerals for our diet and that’s what mom’s been adding to my milk because she can’t produce those.

My mom’s Efir’esh, and they’re like an elf-like or a fairy-like hybrid. I haven’t seen much difference from a human in the previous world except that she’s much lighter. She also has those glowing tattoos when she’s using telekinesis. I do hope I also have those, they look cool.

*click* “Hey there Cas. Mom’s waiting for us downstairs let’s go.” He picks me up and we head downstairs to the dining room.

We get to the kitchen and she’s there with a small cake that has rocks embedded on one side of it. There’s a stick stabbed in the middle of the cake. Is that the candle?

“Happy birthday Cas! Come here dear let’s take a picture!”

Dad puts me on a high chair and mom takes out her phone. She uses the telekinesis power she had to make it float and take a picture.

*click* *flash* “Okay now honey help him break the stick.”

“Gwha?” What? Julius puts the stick in my hand and snaps it. So we don’t blow out the candles here then.

Mom kisses me on the cheeks and I bump heads with dad.

“Happy birthday son.” He ties a necklace around my neck. I glance at it and it looks like a guitar pick shaped metal that has an engraved rune on it. “This is a reminder that I will always be with you and I will always love you no matter what Cas.”

“What are you getting sappy for? He’s 1-year-old dear he can’t understand that yet. What if he chokes on it?”

“D’varf men never choke on stone and metal.”

“Still… isn’t it a bit too early to give him that?”

“I always regretted having gotten mine too late. It’s a stupid tradition anyway.”

“But maybe there’s a reason for giving it to them too late? What if i-”

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“Don’t worry, our son is strong and smart he’ll be fine.”

“*sigh* if you say so...” She kisses him and turns to me.

“Here’s my present Cas.” She smiles before closing her eyes and mumbling in an unknown language. It’s the first time I can’t understand her. Tattoos glow brighter as her mumbled chanting go faster and faster.

Wha- what’s this? Light? It feels… warm.

She slowed down and her tattoos slowly grew dimmer until it’s no longer visible. She smiles and picks me up before kissing me on the forehead. “Who was it that was saying that it’s too early to give him imprints?”

“I know. I can’t have your gift be better than mine! Cas will love me more now!” She hugs me tight while pouting at dad. I feel a bit woozy after what happened so I lay my head on her shoulder.

“Put him down and let him eat honey, we need to get going in a bit.”

Rocks! Food! Actually, I don’t know what kind of rocks they are or if they are actually normal rocks, but they taste like meat for some reason. Some taste like bacon, some taste like burgers, some melt instantly in my mouth, and some are crispy. At first, it was weird eating rocks but I’m used to it now.

I eat my food and they get ready for the day ahead. It seems like we’re going out today!

[An hour later]

Mom had me wear a very woolly onesie and hat. It felt a bit warm but it’s also fluffy and comfortable. Mom has been pinching my cheeks mumbling how cute I am. And I don’t blame her, I’m adorable.

“You ready Cas?”

“Jheyth!”

“Did you call a cab dear?” Mom asks while still playing with my cheeks.

There are cabs? So there are cars… there might be trucks too! I can remake my baby here with magic hehehehe... While I’m giggling to myself dad comes from the kitchen carrying a bag with my baby food. Rock cubes… yummm.

“It’s right outside, let’s go.”

He opens the door and my eyes sparkle, excited to finally go outside. White. It’s a white world of snow. We have a tiny front yard, about a meter away from the sidewalk. The houses are bunched up together it looks a bit like victorian London with more advanced and magical tech.

It’s so cold outside but I didn’t even feel a chill inside the house? Magic is amazing. Wait.. is that… the cab? No… this... NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I tear up and bury my head in my mother’s collar. It’s a carriage. The cab is a motorized carriage. Even tho they had such an amazing version of the Roomba...

“Awww is my Cas afraid? Don’t worry it’s just a cab it won’t hurt us.” She hugs me as I continue to wail my woes.

“Hey Phen! Jules! That your son?”, a neighbour shouts from a second-floor window. It's the first person I see in this world outside of mom and dad. I can't see too much detail from far away but he looks like a burly guy with a very thick beard. He looks like the kind of guy that can break trees in half with his bare hands.

“No Robert, we kidnapped a baby that looks likes Julius because I thought he was cute. Of course, he’s my son.” Mom says while rolling her eyes. I didn't know she was this sassy. I think while she carries me with her inside the carriage. I feel my heartache again being reminded that we have carriages instead of modern cars...

“Sorry Robert, she’s a bit mana deprived,” Dad says while getting on the coachman’s seat. There's a stick in front of him, which I assume controls this antique metal beast.

Robert smiles and waves dismissively, “It’s fine I know the feeling. Have a good day you two!”

I feel the carriage moving and look out the window absorbing the sights and scenery. Floating crystals on top of metal posts magically powered carriages, giant tv billboards. The buildings and houses look like modern victorian stuff. It looks like a painting, but the painter kept forgetting which era the painting was in.

Eventually, we get to a clothing shop and mom makes me try a load of different baby clothes. Of course, being a good baby I cooperate and look cute or cool depending if it suits the outfit.

I don’t get the point I mean I’ll grow out of these anyway? I think while posing like a french baby.

After an hour of that, we continue shopping for stuff before eating lunch at a restaurant. I see different kinds of races here, orc-like, beast-like, even tree-like people are here. What I find weird is that there are rarely any kids outside... I've seen like 4 kids and I think half of those were a height deprived race.

There's also rock shaped fries and they weirdly taste exactly like french fries. This is so weird...

We continue shopping for random stuff like toys and new blankets for me and went home after a few hours. While going home I was thinking about what I’m going to do in this world…

It’s been a year since I came here. The house feels like home now. I’ve been calling Phenea and Julius “Mom” and “Dad” for a while now, I don’t even know when I started doing that. Should I still find a way to go back to earth? Maybe I should enjoy being here for now…

[5 years later]