Back in the village, Adam and Tayohseron were scolded for the second time in the matriarch’s house.
As everyone knew, the rivers were dangerous, even when they seemed safe. Many of their people had perished from underestimating the power of the currents. Others had fallen ill and lost their lives after days of suffering.
The matriarch didn’t want that fate for her nephew or for this wandering soul, who she was certain still had a long journey ahead of him.
The warrior and the soldier had immediately been wrapped in several deerskins.
Adam was shivering like a leaf in autumn, but Tayohseron seemed perfectly fine.
He sat with the dignity of a prince, arms crossed over his muscular chest, his face impassive. Adam might have thought he wasn’t cold at all if it weren’t for a drop of snot running from his left nostril.
The two young men bowed respectfully and humbly before the old woman. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Tayohseron asked for permission to offer Adam a wampum belt.
“A what?” asked Adam, not understanding why the matriarch and her apprentice were reacting so strongly. “A belt? Well, why not.”
How nice of him.
“You don’t understand, young man,” the matriarch replied sternly. “What Tayohseron wants to give you is not just any belt. A wampum belt is a symbolic object that holds great significance for us. He wants to give you one that represents your friendship.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you very much.”
Well, I suppose I should take good care of it.
Adam’s too-calm reaction frustrated the old woman greatly, as she felt like she was speaking to a child.
“You really don’t understand the weight of this gesture, do you? This isn’t a casual act. It’s sacred. They’re made from tiny shell beads traded with other tribes, arranged in patterns to ensure its owner never forgets what it represents. This is a tremendous honor he’s offering you!”
Adam looked at his new friend in surprise and bowed to him.
Oh… I see. It’s not an ordinary gift.
“I accept this honor with gratitude. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to offer him in return.”
He searched through his satchel and took out a knife with a finely engraved handle and a rare, sharp blade. He respectfully extended it to Tayohseron.
“This knife,” Adam explained, “I took from an enemy I killed in Saxony. I like it very much, which is why I kept it. I would like to give it to him. Could you translate that for me, matriarch?”
The old woman turned to her nephew and faithfully translated Adam’s explanation. More than Adam had anticipated, Tayohseron was moved and accepted it with gratitude.
He turned to the matriarch and spoke to her at length. The more he spoke, the more she seemed shocked.
What? What’s he saying?
After a moment, the old woman turned back to Adam.
“He really loves your gift. It’s an honor for him to receive it. He’s proposing that you share a tattoo. Once again, young man, this is a tremendous honor. By sharing a tattoo, you would become blood brothers. You would become a member of the tribe. However, as I explained to Tayohseron, I cannot give my consent for now. The chief must grant this honor, which is unlikely, knowing him. I wanted you to know and understand the honor Tayohseron wishes to extend to you.”
“I understand, and I thank him. Perhaps later, when your chief is more favorable.”
“As I said, young man, it’s unlikely that day will come. He fervently follows the words of our previous chief, Hendrick Theyanoguin, who harbored deep hatred for the French.”
“Oh. Well, in that case, there’s nothing to be done.”
The matriarch nodded slowly.
“He also suggested that you smoke the peace pipe together. Generally, sharing a pipe signifies peace and unity, but in certain circumstances, it represents mutual respect, friendship, or even alliance. That’s what he’s offering.”
“Well, I haven’t smoked in a long time, and I’m a bit curious.”
“Hmm? You’ve smoked the pipe before, young man?”
“Oh, no, not at all! Just cigarettes. It’s nothing. That was in my other life.”
The matriarch stared at the young soldier, trying to imagine what a cigarette could be, supposing it was some sort of miniature pipe.
Tayohseron was delighted to hear his new friend agree to share a pipe with him. He clapped his knees with his hands, producing loud slaps, and flashed a big smile.
Adam saw the matriarch’s apprentice bring a long, carved wooden pipe, so finely crafted it could be called a work of art. Its design was exquisite, with delicate engravings of geometric patterns, and several black-and-white feathers hung from the narrow end where one would inhale the smoke.
The apprentice also brought a small box, equally richly decorated, and placed it respectfully before the matriarch, who opened it delicately, as if it were made of glass.
She took out a mixture of dark herbs emitting a powerful aroma, somewhat reminiscent of tea, but definitely not tea.
Oh my gosh! What is that stuff?! That’s definitely not just tobacco! Damn, it stings the eyes, and she just opened the box! My… my head is already spinning! If I smoke that, it’ll fry my brain!
Ignoring Adam’s concerns, the old woman took a small amount of this herb—which would certainly alarm any drug-sniffing dog—and began to crush it in a small wooden bowl. As she did, she hummed a mysterious tune that seemed to resonate through his bones.
Whoa, is this really natural?
He looked around in alarm, but saw that he was the only one affected. Or maybe the others were hiding it well.
When Adam finally pulled himself together, the matriarch had finished and was placing the dark, crumbled herb into the pipe’s bowl. She brought a flame close, and the herb began to smolder slowly.
The matriarch held out the long pipe to Tayohseron with both hands, and he accepted it in the same manner, bowing respectfully. Slowly, he brought his lips to the lens, the opening at the other end of the pipe.
In Adam's already reddened eyes, Tayohseron looked like he was about to kiss the object. He watched as Tayohseron took a deep draw of smoke and then released it in front of him.
Just like after a musket shot, the smoke formed a white screen in front of him. Adam even thought he heard detonations and screams.
The spell was broken when he noticed Tayohseron extending the pipe to him.
"Ah, thank you."
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Hesitant, he looked around.
The matriarch, the matriarch's apprentice, and Tayohseron were all watching him, waiting for something amusing to happen.
Alright, here we go.
He placed his lips on the tip of the pipe and, as he would with a cigarette, drew in a good puff of smoke.
Immediately, his eyes widened, surprised by the potency of the herb. His lips trembled, and his lungs began to burn. All the sounds around him grew louder, more unbearable. The wind, the fabric folding and rustling, trinkets jingling and dancing all around him, the wings of an insect fluttering.
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
He began coughing violently when he realized, a bit too late, that he had forgotten to exhale in his surprise.
He fell backward.
Black.
Everything was black around Adam.
There was no up, no down, no left, no right. There was nothing.
Only darkness.
It was as if, suddenly, Adam had gone blind.
But it wasn’t just his sight that was disorienting him. There wasn’t a sound—not even his own heartbeat. As for touch, he felt nothing, not even when he tried to open and close his hands.
The absence of any signals in his brain made him doubt.
Did I close my hands, or did I just think I did? Do I even have a body?
Without his eyes to verify, he couldn’t be sure of anything.
Whoa! I don’t know what that stuff was, but it was definitely not just tobacco! Oh, no way! And I’ve never heard of a drug that can do this. This is crazy! Where am I? Am I lying in the matriarch’s longhouse?
"Hey! Is anyone there?"
Plop. Plop.
In response to his question, which seemed to clap like thunder and echo for a long time in the unsettling void, two refreshing sounds broke the silence. It was the familiar sound of two drops of water.
Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop.
The sound was followed by more, coming from in front of him—or what he assumed was in front.
He took a step forward and heard a "plop." A ripple appeared below Adam, revealing the barely visible outline of a foot.
Curious, he tried it again, and saw another ripple emerge from his left foot, spreading outward like he had stepped into an enormous black puddle.
Are… Are those sneakers I’m wearing?!
Growing more and more surprised, Adam took another step forward and saw his feet more clearly.
He was indeed wearing a pair of sneakers. He could also see—albeit briefly—that he wasn’t wearing the breeches of the 18th century, but rather ordinary pants.
What on earth is going on? Where am I?
He looked all around, but saw nothing but complete darkness.
The only time this darkness was disrupted was when he moved. He took a few steps, and the more he walked, the more he could see his own body.
Above his jeans, he wore a simple T-shirt and a few cheap bracelets on his left wrist. He immediately recognized them as the ones he’d bought during his vacation in Germany.
Only then did he think to check his pants pocket to see if he had a phone to call for help, but there was nothing.
"Hello! Can anyone hear me?!"
Silence.
"Matriarch?!"
Silence.
He thought to call, just in case, that girl he’d been with before he arrived in François’ body, but over time, he had ended up forgetting her name.
After all, in a year, he had faced many trials and met many people. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the girl, for whom he didn’t feel any strong emotions, had faded from his memory.
Some might say it was sad; others might call it cruel, but what could he do? That’s just how it was.
"I need help! How do I get out of here?!"
Adam froze when he saw ripples appear in the distance. They collided with his own and shattered like glass.
At once, hope flared in the heart of the young boy, now reverted to the kid he was before traveling through time.
"I'm here! I’m coming! Can you hear me?"
Every step he took made a splash and sent ripples through the water. Using the ripples as a guide, he oriented himself to find the other person.
He froze when he saw who was causing them.
It was a handsome young man with reddish-brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, dressed entirely in white, save for a black tricorn. His face, almost as delicate as that of a young woman, remained impassive.
“François,” Adam murmured.
The French soldier, ghost-like in appearance, nodded.
“I’ve wanted to talk to you for a long time. I suppose we can thank the matriarch for this opportunity.”
“You… you know about the matriarch?”
“I know everything, Adam. I was there. I saw what you saw.”
“Then… you’re not dead? I’m sorry! Really, because of me…”
François raised a hand in a calming gesture and gave a faint, sad smile. It quieted the young Adam.
“It’s all right. None of this is your fault. In fact, I should thank you.”
“Thank me? Why?”
“For living my life so well up until now. I certainly wouldn’t have done better. Besides, my soul had already left my body when you arrived. Isn’t that what the matriarch said? That’s why I thank you. Not only did I not really die at Hastenbeck, but you even climbed the ranks to become a lieutenant. That’s very impressive, you know?”
Adam felt himself blush.
“I… I was just lucky, that’s all.”
François stepped closer, allowing Adam to compare their heights. He was easily a head taller than him.
“Lucky, yes. You’ve come within an inch of death a few times. I actually stopped counting.”
“François?”
“Yes?”
“You’re really not angry? I’m occupying your body, after all.”
“Don’t worry about that, little one. As I said, I was going to die anyway. Without your intervention, my friends would have been very sad. This is better.”
“And you, are you all right? Have you been here all this time?”
“No,” he replied simply, looking around with a pensive air. “I don’t know where this place is. It’s very strange. No, I saw what you saw and heard what you heard, but I couldn’t control anything. I was just a spectator.”
“So you don’t know anything about this whole ‘wandering soul’ business or how I might return to my own time?”
François’s face grew darker.
“I really don’t know any more than you do. It’s all so… mysterious. I wonder how many others this has happened to. Hey, don’t you find it funny? Technically, we’re the same person, yet we’re nothing alike. And I’m not even talking about our looks.”
“Yeah, it’s really weird.”
“More seriously, you should keep this to yourself. The Church might not appreciate your story.”
“Oh, right. I don’t want to be treated like a demon or something. Hmm?”
“What is it?” François asked, raising an eyebrow.
Adam was looking at François’s long legs, which were half-transparent, unlike the rest of his body.
“It’s just… your body is halfway transparent. You look like a ghost,” the boy noted, checking his own body.
“Oh, yes. Well, it seems I’m starting to fade. Don’t worry, it’s not happening right away, I can feel it.”
“You… you’re fading?! What does that mean?! Are you… dying?”
“Adam,” said the soldier in a strangely calm voice, removing his tricorn.
“Y-yes?”
“I died over a year ago. Maybe our two consciousnesses can’t coexist forever. I don’t know how it works, but it seems natural to me. It’s amusing.”
Though he smiled, François looked sad. It was as if the spectacle he was watching and enjoying was slowly coming to an end. The story wasn’t over yet, but one by one, the characters’ arcs were reaching their conclusions.
“Yes, it was fun to watch,” he continued. “Ah… it seems that all good things must come to an end. Haven’t you noticed you’ve been dreaming less about my past lately?”
Adam nodded slowly, his eyes filling with sadness. It felt like he was saying goodbye to an old friend.
“Do you… know when you’ll disappear for good?”
“I have no idea. Does it matter? For you, I’ve been dead for what, two hundred years? Finding my watch was my blessing. I’m just going to enjoy it until the end. The show isn’t over yet.”
A heavy tremor then shook the space, sending thousands of ripples everywhere around the young man and the boy. The air seemed to tremble as well.
“W-what’s happening?!” Adam asked, his voice trembling.
“Hmm, it looks like it’s already time to part,” François replied calmly, as if it were no big deal.
“I don’t want to! I still have so many questions to ask you! I don’t want you to go!”
François smiled gently. He looked like the older brother Adam had never had.
“Don’t worry. I’m not leaving just yet. Do your best to live this life to the fullest. You’re doing great!”
His voice was then so distant. Adam noticed that, even though neither had moved, a growing gap was forming between them. François was already about ten meters away, and it kept increasing by the second.
“François!”
“Don’t be afraid! I’ll stay by your side until the end!”
His calm and reassuring voice was barely audible now.
“Oh, yes, I have a favor to ask you!”
“W-what?”
“When you have a moment, write a letter to my parents and tell them… tell them I love them!”
He wasn’t sure, but Adam thought he saw François shed a tear as he said his final words. Then he disappeared completely, leaving Adam alone in utter darkness.
When Adam opened his eyes, he was lying on the hard, uncomfortable floor of the matriarch’s longhouse.
In his line of sight, there was only the roof, several meters above him, and many trinkets hanging on fine cords.
“Oh, he’s finally waking up?”
It was the voice of the matriarch.
As soon as Adam tried to sit up, he felt that his body wasn’t fully obeying him. His muscles were stiff, as if they were made of papier-mâché or chewing gum.
As for his head, it was hard to describe the sensation. It was as if his skull had been crushed, the top sawed off, his brain removed, then put through a blender.
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
“Well, my boy, is this how people smoke in your time? You’re not supposed to swallow the smoke.”
Adam’s face looked very odd, which alerted the matriarch, who leaned in closer.
“What happened while you were unconscious, my boy?”
“I… I saw François. I was able to talk to him. H-he’s starting to disappear.”
The matriarch’s face grew more serious. She asked several questions about this exchange, and Adam answered honestly without holding anything back. Of course, Tayohseron, who didn’t understand a word of French, remained silent and watched with a thousand questions as this seemingly important exchange took place.
Then, the old woman nodded.
“I see. It must be the will of the spirits. I think François is right: your two consciousnesses can’t exist forever. It’s surprising he’s still here.”
“So there’s nothing to be done, matriarch?”
“No, I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head, making her long gray hair dance. “But I’m not sure he’ll truly disappear. Maybe you two are merging? You share the same soul, so there shouldn’t be two consciousnesses in one body. That’s what I think.”